Glaucoma is a disease of the eye in which the optic nerve is damaged. It is the second leading cause of blindness in the world!
Glaucoma affects 1 in 200 people aged 50 and younger, and 1 in 10 over the age of 80.
It is a progressive and irreversible disease which results in the loss of peripheral vision.
The disease is often associated with a build up of pressure of fluid behind the eye. Raised intraocular pressure is a significant risk factor in developing nerve damage, so it’s important to have regular eye examinations. People may differ in the development of nerve damage, some may experience it at a relatively low pressure, where as another person may have a relatively high pressure for many years and never develop damage.
If left untreated Glaucoma leads to permanent and irreversible damage to the optic nerve resulting in visual field loss, which can cause progress to blindness.
Glaucoma has been nicknamed the ‘silent thief of sight’ because the loss of vision normally occurs gradually, and sometimes without any symptoms. However, the disease is often recognised once in its advanced stages.
Once the visual field is damaged it cannot be corrected. If the condition is detected early enough it is possible to slow down the development and progression with medical and surgical treatment.
Our highly skilled Optometrist’s, together with our state of the art technology, can detect early stages of glaucoma and allow the progress of the disease to be monitored.
