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GLAUCOMA IS RANKED 2ND IN WORLD AMONG THE CAUSES OF BLINDNESS
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Glaucoma affects about 70 million people worldwide today, 6 million of whom are completely blind. The Turkish Ophthalmology Association aims to raise public awareness of glaucoma by carrying out various activities within the scope of World Glaucoma Week in Turkey.
It is estimated that there are about 2.5 million glaucoma patients in Turkey, while only one out of every 4 patients can be diagnosed and treated. As the most important features of glaucoma, a serious social health problem that leads to irreversible vision loss, most patients are sneaky and diagnosed late.
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BELIEVED ATTACKS OF MIGRAINES MAY BE EYE PRESSURE
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Speaking at the World Glaucoma Week, Turkey Medicals member Professor, president of the Glaucoma unit of the Turkish Ophthalmology Association Dr. “in the most common type of glaucoma, known as open-angle glaucoma, the disease is usually detected by chance in patients who come to the eye examination due to another complaint. Many patients often find out that they have ocular blood pressure when they go to an ophthalmologist for near-visual impairment after the age of 40. In another type of glaucoma, known as narrow-angle glaucoma, patients confuse the symptoms of glaucoma with migraine attacks. Migraine headaches, which are believed to be actually insidious and can lead to blindness over time, can be an eye blood pressure disease. No matter what type of glaucoma, early diagnosis and treatment can ensure the protection of vision by controlling the disease.
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IS GENETIC PREDISPOSITION EFFECTIVE?
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Prof. Dr. “The most common type of glaucoma is open-angle or, in other words, insidious glaucoma. Especially close relatives of the first degree, such as mother, father and brother, have glaucoma, which increases the risk of developing the disease in family members 3-5 times. Narrow-angle glaucoma, which is rarer, is more common in women and in people with high hypermetropia. Although glaucoma is usually known as an advanced age disease, it can actually occur in young people, even in newborn babies and children. Diabetes, eye-related causes or long-term cortisone therapy for other causes constitute other risk factors for glaucoma,” he said. Glaucoma usually occurs as a result of high intraocular pressure, but glaucoma can occur under some special conditions, even at normal or even low pressures. This type, called glaucoma with Normal blood pressure, can usually be seen in those with vascular problems, low blood pressure, and sleep apnea problems.
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CAN GLAUCOMA LEAD TO BLINDNESS
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The most important cause of glaucoma is high intraocular pressure. In Normal conditions, there is intraocular fluid that we call “akous”, which is constantly produced in the eye, nourishing some of our eye tissues and maintaining the shape of our eye. It is necessary that this fluid leaves the eye through special channels located in the eye and enters the bloodstream. The balance between the production of acous fluid and its exit from the eye creates “normal eye pressure”. This is a measurable value and is considered 10-21 mmHg. As a result of a violation of this balance, that is, a decrease in the outflow of the akose out of the eye, the blood pressure of the eye increases. As a result of long-term continuation of high pressure in the eye, the optic nerve is damaged. During an increase in intraocular pressure, the patient may not have any complaints, but over time, complete blindness occurs after the peripheral (peripheral) vision narrows first. Because the optic nerve is a structure that cannot regenerate itself, losses cannot be restored with treatment, but stopping or worsening the disease can be prevented. For this reason, early diagnosis of this disease, which occurs without symptoms, is very important. This, in turn, is only possible by increasing sensitivity to glaucoma in society,” he said.
Eye pressure measurement, which is an integral part of ophthalmological examinations in Turkey, has a very important place as a first step in glaucoma diagnosis, but diagnosis and treatment planning is not done only with pressure measurement, they follow patients with other advanced methods that measure the visual field or can even capture early loss of the optic nerve. It is emphasized that corneal tissue is thinning, especially in people who have had myopic surgery, this condition may incorrectly lead to normal measurement of eye blood pressure, and the disease can be missed, noting that these patients should be more careful.
If the intraocular channels that carry eye fluid out of the mother’s womb do not fully develop, the blood pressure in the fetus may increase during pregnancy, and the baby comes into the world with some symptoms. This type of glaucoma, which we call congenital (congenital) glaucoma, is very different from adult glaucoma. In infants up to the age of 3, the outer shell of the eye is very elastic because the increased pressure enlarges the eye, the baby can be born with large eyes. It is easier to notice if it is one-sided, but it can be overlooked when it is two-sided. The family should be especially careful in infants with one-sided large eyes. These babies have excessive watering, discomfort from light, and eye color cannot be selected well. If seen these symptoms, they should immediately contact an ophthalmologist in Istanbul Turkey without long delay.
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ISTANBUL GALATA TOWER LIT WITH GREEN LIGHT
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The Glaucoma unit of the Turkish Ophthalmology Association has organized various events this year, as every year, within the scope of the “Glaucoma Week. Galata Green Tower one of the symbol structures of Istanbul, are lit with green color during the week to draw attention to glaucoma disease. “Have you measured your eye blood pressure?” our message was included. Posters with information raising Glaucoma Awareness were hung on metro stops and buses in Istanbul and Esenboga Airport in Ankara. Glaucoma Week posters were also hung in family medicine and hospitals, and patient information booklets prepared by the glaucoma unit were distributed, including messages from various well-known names, were published on Turkish social media.
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Turkey's world-renowned organ transplant specialist. Dr. Demirbaş has 104 international publications and 102 national publications.
Physician's Resume:
Born on August 7, 1963 in Çorum, Prof. Dr. Alper Demirbaş has been continuing his work as the President of MedicalPark Antalya Hospital Organ Transplantation Center since 2008.
Prof. who performed the first tissue incompatible kidney transplant in Turkey, the first blood type incompatible kidney transplant, the first kidney-pancreas transplant program and the first cadaveric donor and live donor liver transplant in Antalya. Dr. As of August 2016, Alper Demirbaş has performed 4900 kidney transplants, 500 liver transplants and 95 pancreas transplants.
In addition to being the chairman of 6 national congresses, he has also been an invited speaker at 12 international and 65 national scientific congresses. Dr. Alper Demirbaş was married and the father of 1 girl and 1 boy.
Awards:
Eczacibasi Medical Award of 2002, Akdeniz University Service Award of 2005, Izder Medical Man of the Year Award of 2006, BÖHAK Medical Man of the Year Award of 2007, Sabah Mediterranean Newspaper Scientist of the Year Award of 2007, ANTIKAD Scientist of the Year Award of 2009, Social Ethics Association Award of 2010, Işık University Medical Man of the Year Award of 2015, VTV Antalya's Brand Value Award of 2015.
Certificates:
Doctor of Medicine Degree Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Ankara, General Surgeon Ministry of Health Turkey EKFMG (0-477-343-8), University of Miami School of Medicine Member of Multiple Organ Transplant, ASTS Multiorgan Transplant Scholarship. Lecturer at Kyoto University. Lecturer at University of Essen, Research assistant at the University of Cambridge .
Professional Members:
American Society of Transplant Surgeons, American Transplantation Society Nominated, Middle East and Southern Africa Council Transplantation Society 2007, International Liver Transplantation Association, Turkish Transplantation Association, Turkish Society of Surgery, Turkish Hepatobiliary Surgery Association.
Disclaimer:
Our website contents consist of articles approved by our Web and Medical Editorial Board with the contributions of our physicians. Our contents are prepared only for informational purposes for public benefit. Be sure to consult your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.