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Glaucoma

We pride ourselves on looking after your eyes with the best standard of care possible to protect you from sight-threatening conditions like Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, which affects the flow of information from the eye to the brain. If the disease isn’t promptly treated, glaucoma can lead to vision loss or even total blindness.

Types of glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma (OAG): the most common type of glaucoma usually affects both eyes simultaneously. Symptoms slowly worsen over time, which is why many people don’t realise they have it.

Closed-angle glaucoma (CAG): this type of glaucoma usually affects one eye at a time. It can develop suddenly and is considered a medical emergency.

Congenital glaucoma: a rare form of glaucoma that develops in young children. It’s caused by an abnormality of the eye.

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Who is at risk for glaucoma?

Certain factors that can increase the risk of developing glaucoma include:

  • Age: it’s most common in adults in their 70s and 80s
  • Family history: you’re more likely to develop glaucoma if a parent or sibling also has it
  • Medical history: having diabetes, long-sightedness, or short-sightedness can increase the risk

Glaucoma causes and symptoms

Glaucoma is caused by fluid building up in the front part of the eye. This puts increased pressure inside the eye. The condition usually begins without noticeable symptoms and develops slowly over the years. Peripheral vision, also known as side vision, is affected first. Other symptoms include:

  • blurred vision
  • eye pain
  • nausea and vomiting
  • seeing halos around lights
  • headaches
  • red eyes
  • eye tenderness

Treatment and management

Glaucoma is an irreversible condition, but it can be slowed down, so it’s important to get regular eye exams and undergo advanced retinal scans (if applicable) to diagnose and monitor it. Book your eye exam online today. If untreated, it can lead to total blindness. We use state-of-the-art equipment to scan your eyes for glaucoma such as our OCT and visual field screener.

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