[Screening in open angle glaucoma]

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) represents the second cause of mondial cecity, after retinal diabetes complications, with extremely severe implications in quality of life. Screening testing for glaucoma is justified, because only the diagnosis in very incipient stage will preserve the visual function; any treatment will not assure the reversibility of pre-existent optic nerve lesions. Screening of glaucoma, will take into a consideration the costs, the time of investigation, the adverse effects, and the sensitivity and specificity of tests; the last parameter also will strongly influence the positive predictive value. An ideal screening identifies all subjects that present the disease (sensitivity) and will exclude all healthy subjects (specificity). In this moment, in Dolj district, the diagnosis is based on active diagnosis of new cases of glaucoma on the high risk level population, therefore in a 210000 habitants. 4723 patients with glaucoma are diagnosed, screened and follow-up on medical cabinets and on Center of Glaucoma, which coordinates their activity. To better monitored patients, automatized programs with acquisition and storage for different types of medical imaging facilities had become indispensable to any routine practice.