Problemy terapeutyczno-kliniczne w rozpoznawaniu i leczeniu jaskry

© Borgis - Nowa Medycyna 2/2007, s. 36-40

Małgorzata Mulak, *Katarzyna Majewska, Martyna Pieniążek, Agata Spera, Aleksandra Zaręba

Streszczenie
Introduction. Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders characterised by progressive damage to the optic nerve, losses in visual field and increased intraocular pressure, which may not exceed the normal range. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. The aim of our investigation was to assess the expectations of patients with glaucoma and estimate the role of the doctor and the social environment.
Materials and Methods. Experimental group consisted of 40 patients with glaucoma, who were treated in Ophthalmology Clinic at Wroclaw Medical University. The results were collected on the basis of questionnaire filled up by patients.
Results. Up to 45% of patients is not aware of glaucoma treatment methods, even though 86% of them is deeply concerned about the future because of sight-loss possibility. 2/3 of patients declare a need of assistance, 40% from their family and 55% from their doctor. None of the patients treated in our clinic was referred to an ophthalmologist by his family doctor.
Conclusions. The patients´ knowledge concerning the nature of their illness and treatment methods is meager. Merely 10% of all patients knew about glaucoma before getting sick. All pathological lesions can be noticed only by a doctor. That´s why identifying the changes at an early stage by a family doctor is extremely important. We can observe a growing need of expanding an informational prophylaxis among the society and, especially, family doctors.