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PhrasesAt the OpticianHo il glaucoma. Uso le gocce ogni giorno.
B1

Ho il glaucoma. Uso le gocce ogni giorno.

I have glaucoma. I use eye drops every day.

Pronunciation

glau-KO-ma — three syllables, stress on second. 'Gocce' — GOT-che, two syllables.

When to use it

Inform any eye care professional of glaucoma diagnosis. Important for lens selection and understanding visual field limitations.

What it means

'Glaucoma' = glaucoma — increased intraocular pressure ('pressione intraoculare') damaging the optic nerve. 'Gocce' = eye drops (common Italian word for drops). Glaucoma eye drops in Italy: 'timololo', 'latanoprost' (Xalatan), 'brimonidina', 'dorzolamide'. Treatment is lifelong — never stop without oculist advice. 'Campo visivo' (visual field) testing is key for monitoring.

Variations

La pressione dell'occhio è sotto controllo con le gocce.

The eye pressure is under control with the drops.

Good control is essential to prevent further vision loss

Devo fare il campo visivo ogni sei mesi.

I need to do the visual field test every six months.

'Campo visivo' = visual field test — monitors glaucoma progression

Ho un glaucoma a angolo aperto da cinque anni.

I have had open-angle glaucoma for five years.

'Glaucoma a angolo aperto' = open-angle glaucoma — most common type

Mini Dialogue

— Ho il glaucoma. Uso le gocce di latanoprost ogni sera. — Quanto è la sua pressione oculare attualmente? — All'ultimo controllo era diciassette millimetri di mercurio. — Bene, è nella norma. Quando ha fatto l'ultimo campo visivo? — Sei mesi fa. Era stabile. — Ottimo. Aggiorniamo le lenti tenendo conto della sua situazione visiva.

— I have glaucoma. I use latanoprost drops every evening. — What is your current eye pressure? — At the last check it was seventeen millimetres of mercury. — Good, that is within normal range. When did you last do a visual field test? — Six months ago. It was stable. — Excellent. We will update the lenses keeping your visual situation in mind.

Cultural Note

Glaucoma affects about 2% of Italians over 40, with many undiagnosed ('glaucoma silenzioso' — silent glaucoma). The Italian Glaucoma Society ('GLS') promotes early detection. Italian SSN covers glaucoma management including specialist visits and medications for diagnosed patients ('esenzione per glaucoma'). Early diagnosis is critical — once lost, peripheral vision cannot be restored. Italian ophthalmologists use 'OCT' (optical coherence tomography) and 'perimetria' (perimetry) for monitoring.