OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA: CLINICAL AND OPHTHALMOLOGICAL EVALUATION

Abstract

Open-angle glaucoma is a chronic and progressive eye disease, which is characterized by increased intraocular pressure and damage to the optic nerve, which can lead to irreversible loss of vision. This disease is the main cause of irreversible blindness in the world, affecting around 70 million people. Open-angle glaucoma is a silent disease, which does not present symptoms in the initial phase, making early diagnosis and adequate treatment difficult. Objective: to analyze the methods and criteria used for the clinical and ophthalmological evaluation of patients with open-angle glaucoma, as well as the results obtained with these evaluations. Methodology: To carry out this review, a methodology based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist was used, which consists of a series of criteria to guarantee the quality and transparency of the studies reviewed. The PubMed, Scielo and Web of Science databases were consulted, using the following descriptors: "open-angle glaucoma", "clinical evaluation", "ophthalmic evaluation", "diagnosis" and "treatment". Only articles published in the last 10 years were included, which addressed patients with open-angle glaucoma, who underwent some form of clinical or ophthalmological evaluation. Articles that did not present patients' clinical or ophthalmological data, that were reviews or case reports, or that were not available in full were excluded. Results: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were selected for analysis. The clinical evaluation of patients with open-angle glaucoma involves history taking, general physical examination and neurological examination. This assessment aims to identify the risk factors, signs and symptoms of the disease, as well as possible comorbidities or associated complications. The ophthalmological evaluation of patients with open-angle glaucoma involves visual acuity, tonometry, gonioscopy, biomicroscopy, fundoscopy, pachymetry, perimetry and optical coherence tomography. This evaluation aims to measure intraocular pressure, evaluate the angle of the anterior chamber, examine the ocular structures, detect changes in the optic nerve and retina, determine the thickness of the cornea, check the visual field and quantify the thickness of the retinal nerve fibers. . Conclusion: The clinical and ophthalmological evaluation of patients with open-angle glaucoma is a complex and multidimensional process, which requires the use of different methods and criteria. This assessment is essential for the adequate management of the disease, which is one of the main causes of irreversible blindness in the world.