National centers of excellence in glaucoma

Glaucoma refers to a group of related eye disorders that have in common an optic neuropathy associated with visual function loss. It is the second leading cause of blindness in developed countries and Romania and the first cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. In Europe, 2% of the population over 40 and 7% of the population over 80 have glaucoma. In Romania, there are no official statistics concerning glaucoma disease, but it was estimated that over 160000 Romanians suffer from this disease and only 50% of them are undergoing treatment. The silent evolution of the disease, the deficient sanitary education, the lack of well structured national programs for screening and follow-up and the lack of adherence to treatment and check-ups, are the causes of late diagnosis and irreversible visual function loss. The article emphasizes the need for national centers specialized in managing patients with glaucoma, from prevention, screening, early diagnosis to treatment and monitoring.