13 October is International Sight Day.
Diseases of the eye have always concerned people for quite understandable reasons. 80% of the information about the world around us we receive through vision and its preservation is a major task of ophthalmologists, but also of the whole society.
There are many diseases that can cause irreversible damage to vision. First of all, worldwide, this is glaucoma and Bulgaria is no exception to this. It is believed that glaucoma is a disease of priority for the age over 60, but there are many exceptions to this rule. In recent decades, the possibilities for diagnosis in the early stages of the disease and for successful conservative treatment have developed at a very rapid pace. However, every day in practice we see people who have lost vision from glaucoma.
According to the U.S. Public Health Service, eye complications related to diabetes are the most common cause of blindness in working-age people between the ages of 20 and 70. Diabetic retinopathy and associated retinal hemorrhages and detachments, as well as secondary glaucoma, lead to irreversible vision loss. Prevention of these complications requires good cooperation between the different units of the health system and significant financial resources.
Age-related macular degeneration is another major problem tackled by modern ophthalmology. This disease affects the central vision and, in different time frames, leads to visual disability and a severe deterioration in quality of life. This problem is particularly relevant nowadays due to the rapid ageing of the population. Until a few years ago there was no treatment for macular degeneration. Currently, some of its forms can be successfully treated by means of medication that is injected into the vitreous and slows or stops the progression of the process.
Cataracts are a cause of temporary visual impairment. The development of modern ophthalmic surgery provides exceptional opportunities for rapid visual rehabilitation, including the correction of refractive errors by implantation of appropriate intraocular lenses. About 25 000 cataract surgeries are performed annually in Bulgaria at the modern world level.
The level of healthcare in a country is judged by the quality of care for children's health. The problems solved by pediatric ophthalmology are early diagnosis and correction of refractive anomalies, treatment of amblyopia, prevention of retinopathy of prematurity, treatment of congenital anomalies, etc. A study of ocular pathology in children accommodated in nursing homes on the territory of the capital city showed a frequency of the diseases several times higher than that in the general population. | BGNES
