Glaucome – the silent loss of vision

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.  Blindness or substantial vision loss can be prevented with early diagnoses and management of the disease from early stages onward.

Glaucoma is a term for a group of eye conditions in which the main nerve to the eye is damaged. In most cases it is associated with higher-than-normal pressure (IOP) in the eye called ocular hypertension. The most prevalent form of glaucoma is called open angle glaucoma.  The vision loss is silent, slow, and progressive.  It initially causes peripheral or side vision loss and can progress to central vision loss if left untreated.

The main problem with the disease is that it has few or no early symptoms and about half of the patients do not know they have it.  People most at risk are middle aged people, 40 years of age, diabetics, and hypersensitive patients as well as people with a family history of the disease.  Regular eye examinations are crucial to discover the disease.