Understand how glaucoma develops, why early detection matters and what options exist to protect your sight.
Essential Information on Glaucoma
Often no symptoms in the early stages.
Lost vision cannot be restored, so prevention is key.
Early treatment can slow or stop progression.
What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions in which the pressure inside the eye climbs higher than the optic nerve can tolerate. The usual culprit is a fault in how the eye makes, moves or drains its internal fluid (aqueous humor). Over time that strain injures the nerve, and glaucoma ranks among the main causes of permanent sight loss worldwide.
What Causes Glaucoma?
The precise trigger is still not fully understood. In most people the pressure rises because the eye produces more fluid than it can release, or because its drainage channels become blocked. As the pressure builds, the delicate nerve fibers that carry images to the brain are slowly worn down. Eye injuries, infections and growths in or near the eye can also play a part.
Who Is Affected by Glaucoma?
The damage happens at the optic nerve, the cable at the back of the eye that sends visual signals to the brain. Once it is harmed, less information gets through and sight fades step by step. Anyone can develop glaucoma, but it turns up more often as we age and in families where relatives have already been diagnosed.
Can Glaucoma Cause Blindness?
Caught early and managed properly, glaucoma can usually be kept under control so that little or no sight is lost. Left alone, it steadily erodes vision, beginning at the edges of the visual field and later reaching the center. In advanced cases it can leave a person almost completely blind.
How Do I Know If I Have Glaucoma?
In its early stages glaucoma rarely announces itself, so many people feel perfectly fine while damage is already under way. Because lost vision cannot be restored, routine eye examinations are the best protection: they allow the condition to be spotted and treated before it costs you sight.
How Is Glaucoma Diagnosed?
Diagnosis relies on a full eye examination. The eye care professional measures the pressure inside the eye, inspects the health of the optic nerve and tests your side (peripheral) vision to look for areas that have started to fade.
How Is Glaucoma Treated?
Treatment most often starts with prescribed eye drops that bring the internal pressure down. Where drops are not enough, a procedure may be recommended to help fluid drain more freely. Sight that has already been lost cannot be recovered, but timely treatment and regular check-ups help protect what remains. People at higher risk should be screened on a regular schedule.