Glaucoma is a disease that gradually damages the eye’s optic nerve over time. The damage occurs by over-pressurization of the eyes and fluid leakage due to the pressure and leads to complete blindness if left untreated. This damage is irreversible and once sight is lost, it cannot be restored. 

 

Thankfully, testing for glaucoma is rather easy. Most optometrists can test for glaucoma

during a standard eye exam. The following tests are generally used for diagnosing

glaucoma.

 

(Via The National Eye Institute)

 

Visual acuity test. This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.

Visual field test. This test measures your peripheral (side vision). It helps your eye care professional tell if you have lost peripheral vision, a sign of glaucoma.

Dilated eye exam. In this exam, drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of damage and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.

Tonometry is the measurement of pressure inside the eye by using an instrument called a tonometer. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test. A tonometer measures pressure inside the eye to detect glaucoma.

Pachymetry is the measurement of the thickness of your cornea. Your eye care professional applies a numbing drop to your eye and uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure the thickness of your cornea.

Some of the signs of glaucoma include, but are not limited to, cloudiness of the eyes, peripheral vision loss, and pressure in the eyes.

 

General practice solutions include surgery, eye drops, and other oral medications.

 

There are many different forms of glaucoma that can manifest at different ages with varying severity. For this page, the two main forms of glaucoma will be shown.

 

1. Primary Congenital Glaucoma

While mostly common in people over 35 years old, it can still happen occasionally in youth and infants. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology,  “It occurs in about 1 out of 10,000 births and results in blindness in approximately 10% of cases and reduced vision (worse than 20/50) in about half of all cases.” According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, “The most common symptoms of congenital/infantile glaucoma are excessive tearing, light sensitivity and a large, cloudy cornea (the normally clear front surface of the eye) which can cause the iris (colored part of the eye) to appear dull.”They also go on to say that 1/10thof all childhood glaucoma cases are due to hereditary genes.

 

1. Open-angle glaucoma 

This is the most common form of glaucoma in adults. According to the Mayo Clinic, Patchy blind spots in your side (peripheral) or central vision, frequently in both eyes is common and in the later stages, tunnel vision will occur. Much of this form of glaucoma is similar to the Primary Congenital Glaucoma that is found in children.

Below is a before and after image showing the damage (right) that glaucoma can do to vision. Courtesy National Eye Institute

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