Glaucoma is one of the most insidious and widespread eye diseases: 76 million people in the world (WHO data) live with the ‘silent thief of sight’; about 900 thousand Italians suffer from it, but only a third is aware of it. “Out of three people who have glaucoma – confirms Stefano Gandolfi, director of the Ophthalmology Clinic of the University of Parma, president of the Italian Society of Glaucoma (Sigla) and organizer of the XVII National Congress. three have the disease, but they ignore it. This means that, out of 900,000 glaucomatosis, only 300,000 know they have the disease. The others are running the enormous risk of losing some, if not all, of their sight from the diseased eye (in some cases both), without being aware of it “. The reason lies in the nature of the pathology, insidious, slow and progressive. “Glaucoma takes away the sight slowly, already after the age of 40, without causing disturbances – explains Gandolfi – It does not compromise the ability to read, to watch television rather than road signs, but over the years it narrows the space that eye is able to perceive. In short, as the disease progresses the patient is no longer able to see what is on his plate when he eats and bumps into doors and doorposts of the house and risks fall when going down the stairs, not seeing the steps correctly “. Precisely because the disease does not give symptoms, the patient usually goes to the ophthalmologist for other problems: burning and redness of the eyes, vision of ‘flying flies’. “During the routine visit, the specialist – continues Gandolfi – is able to establish whether the glaucoma is in progress or if the patient is at very high risk of developing the disease which, it must be said, increases with the progress of the age. It is very rare, in fact, to find a young man of 20 years with glaucoma. However, there are congenital forms. We have had children born with the signs of glaucoma, but these are borderline cases “. The subjects most at risk of glaucoma: myopic, hypertensive, diabetic, people with severe cardiovascular problems, or with a relative affected by the disease. “Having a parent, an uncle, a cousin or a brother with glaucoma – continues the expert – means having a very high probability of developing the disease. For this reason it is a good idea, for those over 40, to undergo an eye check. which includes the measurement of the ocular pressure and the assessment of the fundus. It applies to everyone, not only the most exposed categories. Early diagnosis is very important “, Gandolfi recommends, who adds:” You cannot cure glaucoma, however the disease can be cured: eye drops, long-lasting therapies, laser techniques, traditional and minimally invasive surgery. We have numerous drugs and various therapeutic options that are increasingly targeted and personalized to control the disease effectively, but prevention takes on a particular importance, since the pathology discovered in time can be put in a position to not progress “.” Periodic checks are essential – concludes the president Sigl a – An annual visit is enough to ensure a peaceful future from the point of view of ocular health, because indeed most of the diseases that cause blindness or low vision can be cured or curbed, if we intervene in time “.