Glaucoma
Early detection and long-term control of eye pressure to protect the optic nerve and preserve the sight you have.
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, usually without pain and without any early change you would notice. Treatment cannot undo damage already done. It protects what is left.
What glaucoma does
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, the cable carrying vision from the eye to the brain. Raised pressure inside the eye is the main treatable risk factor, though damage can occur at pressures considered normal.
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form, developing slowly; angle-closure and congenital glaucoma are less common. Vision is lost from the periphery inward, which is precisely why it goes unnoticed. The centre of your vision, the part you are aware of, stays clear until late.
About half of people with glaucoma do not know they have it. It causes no pain and no early symptom you could reasonably be expected to notice. It is found by testing.
Who should be tested
Risk rises with age, and is higher for people with a family history of glaucoma. Anyone over 40 having a routine eye examination should have their pressure checked; anyone with a parent or sibling diagnosed with glaucoma should be checked regardless of age and symptoms.
What testing involves
- Intraocular pressureA quick measurement, repeated across visits. A single reading means less than a pattern.
- Optic nerve examinationLooking directly at the nerve head for the characteristic changes of glaucoma.
- Visual field testingMaps your peripheral vision and detects loss long before you would notice it yourself.
- Corneal thicknessAffects how pressure readings should be interpreted.
Treatment
Three approaches are used, often in sequence:
- Eye drops: the most common first treatment, lowering pressure either by reducing fluid production or improving its drainage.
- Laser: a clinic procedure that improves the eye’s own drainage.
- Surgery: creating a new drainage route when drops and laser are not enough.
The honest framing matters here: treatment will not undo damage already done to your vision, but it can stop it from getting worse. Everything that has been preserved was preserved by starting early and continuing.
Living with glaucoma
Glaucoma is managed, not cured. Drops only work while they are being used, and because the disease causes no symptoms, it is easy to drift away from a routine that appears to be doing nothing. It is doing a great deal, silently, and that is the difficulty. Keeping the follow-up appointments is as much a part of treatment as the drops themselves.
If my pressure is normal, am I safe?
Not necessarily. Some people develop optic nerve damage at normal pressures, which is why the nerve and visual field are examined rather than relying on pressure alone.
Will I go blind?
Most people diagnosed and treated before significant damage keep useful vision for life. The outcome depends heavily on how early it was found and how consistently it is managed.
Can I stop the drops if my vision feels fine?
No. Vision feeling fine is the normal state of treated glaucoma. Stopping allows pressure to rise again, and any loss that follows is permanent.
Is glaucoma hereditary?
Family history is a recognised risk factor. If you have been diagnosed, it is worth telling your siblings and children to have their eyes checked.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Findings vary from person to person, and only an examination can tell you what applies to your eyes.