Biomaterial Database

[Glaucoma as a cause of blindness]. 1993

F Cruciani, and G Melino

Istituto di Oftalmologia, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, di Roma.

The problem of glaucoma as a cause of blindness is discussed. WHO has proposed five classes of sightlessness on the sole basis of visual acuity without taking into account sense of luminosity, peripheral vision, color vision. In addition, different nations have different tables for evaluating the severity of the handicap so that data on this subject cannot be compared. This is why the problem of blindness due to glaucoma is very complicated and the concept of blindness has to be standardized as well as the method of epidemiologic research. The investigation starts from a list of the most reliable sources: records of associations of sightless subjects, lists of sightless persons receiving an invalidity pension, filed research, records of support activities and transversal population studies. This is followed by a general review of causes of blindness worldwide, their prevalence according to age and sex, and especially the causes of blindness in various nations and in different regions of Italy. Last, the percentage of loss of eye-sight due to glaucoma is examined.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D001766	Blindness	The inability to see or the loss or absence of perception of visual stimuli. This condition may be the result of EYE DISEASES; OPTIC NERVE DISEASES; OPTIC CHIASM diseases; or BRAIN DISEASES affecting the VISUAL PATHWAYS or OCCIPITAL LOBE.	Amaurosis,Bilateral Blindness,Blindness, Bilateral,Blindness, Legal,Blindness, Monocular,Blindness, Unilateral,Sudden Visual Loss,Unilateral Blindness,Blindness, Acquired,Blindness, Complete,Blindness, Hysterical,Blindness, Transient,Acquired Blindness,Amauroses,Bilateral Blindnesses,Complete Blindness,Hysterical Blindness,Legal Blindness,Monocular Blindness,Sudden Visual Losses,Transient Blindness,Visual Loss, Sudden
D004812	Epidemiologic Methods	Research techniques that focus on study designs and data gathering methods in human and animal populations.	Epidemiologic Method,Epidemiological Methods,Methods, Epidemiologic,Epidemiological Method,Method, Epidemiologic,Method, Epidemiological,Methods, Epidemiological
D005060	Europe	The continent north of AFRICA, west of ASIA and east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN.	Northern Europe,Southern Europe,Western Europe
D005901	Glaucoma	An ocular disease, occurring in many forms, having as its primary characteristics an unstable or a sustained increase in the intraocular pressure which the eye cannot withstand without damage to its structure or impairment of its function. The consequences of the increased pressure may be manifested in a variety of symptoms, depending upon type and severity, such as excavation of the optic disk, hardness of the eyeball, corneal anesthesia, reduced visual acuity, seeing of colored halos around lights, disturbed dark adaptation, visual field defects, and headaches. (Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed)	Glaucomas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000349	Africa	The continent south of EUROPE, east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN and west of the INDIAN OCEAN.
D000569	Americas	The general name for NORTH AMERICA; CENTRAL AMERICA; and SOUTH AMERICA unspecified or combined.	America
D001208	Asia	The largest of the continents. It was known to the Romans more specifically as what we know today as Asia Minor. The name comes from at least two possible sources: from the Assyrian asu (to rise) or from the Sanskrit usa (dawn), both with reference to its being the land of the rising sun, i.e., eastern as opposed to Europe, to the west. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p82 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p34)
D014944	World Health Organization	A specialized agency of the United Nations designed as a coordinating authority on international health work; its aim is to promote the attainment of the highest possible level of health by all peoples.	Organization, World Health,WHO
D015981	Epidemiologic Factors	Events, characteristics, or other definable entities that have the potential to bring about a change in a health condition or other defined outcome.	Epidemiologic Determinants,Determinant, Epidemiologic,Determinants, Epidemiologic,Epidemiologic Determinant,Epidemiologic Factor,Factor, Epidemiologic,Factors, Epidemiologic