Glaucoma - everything you need to know
- Sep 15, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 28, 2022
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which cause damage to the optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain. The main cause of damage is an increase in the pressure of fluid inside your eye, which can be due to various reasons including blockage of drainage ducts, and narrowing or closure of the angle between the iris and cornea. This may affect one or both of your eyes. If you have glaucoma but do not treat it, your eyesight will gradually get worse and you could eventually go blind. The good news is that treatment with drops can stop it getting worse.
Anyone can develop glaucoma, however the risk is higher if you are
Aged over 40
Very short-sighted
Of African or Caribbean origin
Closely related to someone with glaucoma
Because you often cannot feel the pressure and the damage happens slowly, you may not know you have glaucoma until a lot of the damage has been done. That damage cannot be put right, so it is particularly important that you find out early. The best way to make sure of this is to have regular eye examinations. If you are 40 or over and someone in your immediate family has glaucoma, the NHS will will fund your sight tests every year.
There are 3 main tests to see if you have glaucoma. The first one is a pressure check, the second is a careful examination of your optic nerve and the final being the measurement of your visual fields.
They may also take a photograph or a 3D OCT scan of the optic nerve and this can be very useful for future visits and helps to monitor change of your optic nerve. Measurement of the pressure is a gentle and non invasive procedure.
Closed-angle glaucoma
This is a rare type of glaucoma where the drainage ducts of your eye become blocked or damaged in some way, so the pressure increases rapidly. You may experience acute pain in the eye and blurred vision, and you may feel sick or even vomit. Early signs and symptoms are an ache in the eye which comes and goes, red eyes, and seeing haloes around lights. This type of glaucoma requires immediate medical attention to relieve symptoms and to prevent permanent loss of vision.
Treatment
If you are found to have glaucoma, you will be given eye drops to use every day. The drops will reduce the pressure in the majority of cases and help control the build-up of fluid. In a small number of cases, you may be recommended to have an operation to drain away the fluid. There is no cure for glaucoma but it can be treated effectively. Any existing damage may be permanent, but your sight could get much worse if you do not continue treatment. It is very important that you continue to have regular check-ups and keep using the drops.
Now that's lots to read, we're the experts so why not contact us and let us explain.
This is a helpful overview of why regular eye exams matter, especially for a condition like glaucoma where damage can happen gradually. For clinics or health educators who record short patient guidance, appointment reminders, or eye care audio notes, an audio compressor online can be useful for making those files easier to share with patients or staff.
Great article. Glaucoma can be difficult for patients to understand because it involves pressure, optic nerve damage, visual field loss, and long-term treatment even when symptoms are not obvious. Many people also watch eye health explainers or glaucoma education videos after reading an article like this. A YouTube playlist duration calculator can help estimate the total watch time when those videos are saved into a learning playlist.
Very helpful patient-friendly overview of glaucoma. Since the condition can progress slowly without obvious symptoms, clear education is important for helping people understand regular eye exams, pressure checks, optic nerve monitoring, and treatment routines. For clinics or educators preparing glaucoma handouts or awareness talks, a word to time calculator can help estimate how long written material will take to read, while a speaking time calculator is useful for planning a short eye health presentation.
This is a clear and useful explanation of glaucoma, especially the parts about eye pressure, the optic nerve, and visual field testing. I also like that the article mentions photographs and 3D OCT scans, because visual records can make eye health easier for patients to understand over time. For anyone reviewing educational eye diagrams, PDFs, or scan examples, a protractor online can be a handy tool for measuring angles or marking visual details directly on images.
The explanation feels very smooth because the wording remains clear and reader friendly throughout the paragraph without unnecessary technical language or complexity. Everything flows naturally between ideas, helping improve readability and overall comfort while reading online. The structure also feels balanced and organized, creating a pleasant reading experience overall. I appreciate how human written and engaging the content sounds while still remaining informative for readers today.
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