Glaucoma
What is glaucoma?
This is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve (at the back of the eye) is damaged.
How does the damage usually happen?
By increased pressure from the fluid in the eye. The amount of damage depends on the amount of pressure and how long it has lasted.
Chronic glaucoma
The danger with chronic glaucoma (slow onset) is that your eyesight may seem perfectly normal. There is no pain, but your peripheral vision (side vision) is being damaged. Eventually your central vision is affected. At this stage we describe it as ‘tunnel’ vision (like looking down a long tube).
How is chronic glaucoma detected?
The tests are very straight forward. Most optometrists (opticians) do them by:
- Viewing the optic nerve at the back of the eye with a special light.
- Measuring the pressure in the eye.
- Checking the peripheral (side) vision.
How is chronic glaucoma treated?
In hospital and usually starts with eye drops to reduce the pressure.
Acute glaucoma
In acute glaucoma (sudden onset), the pressure in your eye rises rapidly and can be very painful. The affected eye may become red and you may suffer nausea and vomiting.
What is the treatment?
Immediate hospital referral so that the pain in the eye can be relieved.
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