Glaucoma in Spanish

What it means

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the optic nerve of one, or both, of your eyes, which can result in vision loss. There are different types: the most common is open-angle glaucoma, and less common types include angle-closure glaucoma and congenital glaucoma. Often there are no symptoms at first, or they start so slowly that you may not notice them. Without treatment, a person slowly loses peripheral (side) vision, and glaucoma can eventually lead to blindness. The National Eye Institute says the only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. There is no cure, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.

Glaucoma in Spanish

Spanish term: Glaucoma
Gender and article: masculine: el glaucoma
Pronunciation: glow-KOH-mah

Glaucoma is spelled the same in English and Spanish. In Spanish it is a masculine noun, el glaucoma: the Spanish dictionary marks it as a masculine medical term and defines it as an eye disease characterized by increased pressure inside the eye. MedlinePlus en español and the National Eye Institute both write el glaucoma and name the types glaucoma de ángulo abierto (open-angle), de ángulo cerrado (angle-closure) and congénito (congenital).

Words that go with it on the cited Spanish pages: nervio óptico (optic nerve), presión ocular (eye pressure), visión periférica (lateral) (side vision) and tonometría, the test that measures the pressure inside the eye. A dilated eye exam is examen ocular con dilatación de pupilas in MedlinePlus en español. For sudden symptoms, MedlinePlus en español says to go to una sala de emergencias right away, while the National Eye Institute writes una sala de urgencias.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Does anyone in your family have glaucoma?	¿Alguien en su familia tiene glaucoma?
Patient	Yes, my mother has glaucoma and uses eye drops every day.	Sí, mi madre tiene glaucoma y usa gotas para los ojos todos los días.
Clinician	I am going to put drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils.	Voy a ponerle gotas en los ojos para dilatarle las pupilas.
Clinician	This test measures the pressure inside your eye.	Esta prueba mide la presión dentro del ojo.
Patient	I have not noticed any changes in my vision. Can I still have glaucoma?	No he notado ningún cambio en la vista. ¿Aun así puedo tener glaucoma?
Clinician	Have you noticed that you cannot see things off to the side?	¿Ha notado que no puede ver las cosas hacia los lados?
Patient	How often do I need to have my eyes checked?	¿Con qué frecuencia debo hacerme un examen de los ojos?
Clinician	If you suddenly have intense eye pain, blurry vision, or red eyes, go to an emergency room right away.	Si de repente tiene dolor ocular intenso, visión borrosa u ojos rojos, vaya a una sala de emergencias de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Glaucoma
Spanish (Español)	Glaucoma
Chinese (中文)	青光眼
Korean (한국어)	녹내장
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Tăng nhãn áp
Filipino (Tagalog)	Glaucoma
Portuguese (Português)	Glaucoma
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ต้อหิน
Japanese (日本語)	緑内障

Where you'll see it

chartreferralmedical recordEOB

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: H40 → Glaucoma

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Eyes and ears

All terms in this area: Eyes and ears — Ojos y oídos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.