Glaucoma is a disease that damages the nerve in the back of your eye (optic nerve). Overtime it can lead to vision loss and blindness. There is no cure for glaucoma. Treatment for glaucoma prevents it from getting worse. It doesn’t restore or improve the vision that has already been lost.

Most people who have glaucoma are not aware they have it. The reason for this is because glaucoma usually doesn’t show any signs. Some people can begin to slowly lose their vision before they notice they have a problem.  

Glaucoma can affect anyone, but there are certain groups that are more at risk. This includes:

• People over the age of 60
• African Americans over the age of 40
• People with a family history of glaucoma
• People who have diabetes 
• People with high eye pressure 
• People with a thin cornea 

Talk with your doctor about your risk for glaucoma. Ask how often you should get checked. If you’re at higher risk, you will need to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam every one to two years.

Comprehensive eye exam 

The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is through a comprehensive eye exam. An eye pressure test alone is not enough to detect glaucoma. In a complete eye exam, your eye doctor will check for five things:

1. Tonometry: measures the pressure inside the eye
2. Ophthalmoscopy: examines the shape and color of the optic nerve, also known as a dilated eye exam 
3. Perimetry: measures your field of vision 
4. Gonioscopy: examines the angle in the eye where the iris meets the cornea 
5. Pachymetry: measures the thickness of the cornea 

Learn more about glaucoma here. 

Treat your eyes as you would treat your body. Eat well and stay active. Control your blood pressure and don’t smoke. Doing so can help you avoid vision loss. 

Sources:

https://glaucoma.org/learn-about-glaucoma/testing-for-glaucoma/

https://glaucoma.org/five-common-glaucoma-tests/

https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/resources/features/glaucoma-awareness.html#:~:text=Open%2Dangle%20glaucoma%20does%20not,avoid%20vision%20loss%20from%20glaucoma

https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/glaucoma#:~:text=What%20is%20glaucoma%3F,a%20comprehensive%20dilated%20eye%20exam