Cologne (CNN) – the eye disease glaucoma (green star) has expert opinion with the increasingly aging society a widespread disease in Germany developed into. Around one million people nationwide were you ill or severely threatened, a further estimated million suffer a glaucoma, without noticing this. The Director said that the Cologne University eye clinic, Prof. Günter Krieglstein, on Thursday. The disease itself over the years across insidiously protracted am one of the most common causes of blindness, was but painless and remains therefore often long undetected. Of the incurable disease worldwide had some 70 million people according to the initiativkreis glaucoma screening. The risk increasing with age. Krieglstein said will once green star called disease discovered early and treated, it is well managed and progression of Visual damage could be prevented. But it is tricky at the glaucoma that vision is not affected, but the Visual field become gradually less. As a result, many patients noticed their suffering only at a late stage. Nerve fibers in the retina and optic nerve die off at the glaucoma caused by an elevated intraocular pressure or a disruption of ocular blood flow. The patients include those in their families already occurred very, elderly, or patients with vascular and circulatory diseases. It should be once a year at the ophthalmologist make an optic nerve check (around 16 euros), the statutory health insurance but not pay the Initiativkreis advises. All others should let of 40 years to control all three to five years on a glaucoma.