Glaucoma: Why Early Diagnosis Matters

Early diagnosis of Glaucoma is essential so that timely treatment can be given for the prevention of unnecessary vision loss. There is currently no cure for glaucoma, but it can be managed effectively in a majority of cases.

There are no initial symptoms for glaucoma. It is usually detected by your optometrist as screening for early signs of the condition is part of regular routine eye examinations. Patients do not usually become symptomatic of their glaucoma until significant optic nerve damage has occurred – at which stage the vision which has been lost cannot be recovered.

Proactive eye care is an essential step that patients can take to safeguard their eye health. Knowing your risk factors is helpful as well as ensuring you keep up to date with your visits to the Optometrist every 2 years.

There are many different types of treatment for glaucoma which can be used to mitigate or slow the progression of the disease. Early intervention is vital to preserve as much sight as possible.

 

What symptoms may you experience with glaucoma

• You may knock things over due to missing patches (blind spots) in your visual field
  (peripheral vision)
• You may trip on or miss curbs and steps regularly
• You may experience haloes or blurry patches in your vision
• Very rarely there can be pain in one eye and nausea with a dilated pupil and hazy vision in acute angle closure glaucoma.
• You may be feeling that you need more light to see or be cleaning your glasses more than normal but not find it improves things.