Vascular eye disorders

Glaucoma is the second cause of blindness in the Western hemisphere. It may affect people of any age or sex. Nevertheless, it is more frequent among women than in men and its incidence increases after 40 years of age. In Spain, as in the Western countries, it affects 3% of the population. But it is estimated that only less than half of the affected people are diagnosed: 1%.

Until now, it was believed that glaucoma consisted of an increase in ocular pressure and that this hypertension progressively engenders atrophy of the optic nerve, which, once affected, does not recover and blindness is the irreversible consequence.

The new knowledge acquired has forced us to review all the thinking about glaucoma and new ways of research have been opened. But in all cases, the disorder is believed to be related to blood circulation, whether it by hypertension, hypotension or vasospasms, now that, in all cases, an insufficient irrigation of the optic nerve occurs, because of which, it is not sufficiently irrigated.