Did you know?
Selected Specsavers stores provide a range of additional eyecare services to help maintain the health of your eyes.
Types of glaucoma
There are various types of glaucoma including:
Chronic glaucoma – this is the most common type of glaucoma and develops very slowly.
Acute glaucoma – this is rare and may develop rapidly with a sudden, painful build-up of pressure in the eye. Other symptoms may include blurred vision and haloes around lights.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
If you have chronic glaucoma, it can take a long time before you realise you have a problem with your eyesight. This is because chronic glaucoma is painless and usually damages the outer edge of the vision and works slowly inwards. Without regular checks you may not notice a problem until the glaucoma is near the centre of your vision.
Acute glaucoma is rare but usually painful often accompanied by blurred vision and haloes around lights. If you get these symptoms it is important to seek immediate assistance. Contact your optician or local Accident and Emergency department.
Even if the symptoms go away you should contact your optician as soon as possible as repeat episodes can cause damage to your eyesight.
Visual symptoms of glaucoma
These images show the difference in vision typically expected between someone with normal vision, someone with mild glaucoma, and someone with more advanced glaucoma.
Images used with permission from the International Glaucoma Association.
What causes glaucoma?
The eyeball contains a fluid called aqueous humour, which is constantly produced by the eye, with any excess drained though tubes. When the fluid cannot drain properly, this causes a build-up of pressure in the eye known as the intraocular pressure.
Glaucoma develops when this increased pressure damages the optic nerve (which connects the eye to the brain) and the nerve fibres from the retina (the light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye).
In acute glaucoma cases this pressure rises rapidly to higher levels, causing pain.
Risk factors of glaucoma
- A family history of the disease
- Age - chronic glaucoma affects up to two in every 100 people over 40 and around five in every 100 people over 80
- Higher levels of short sightedness
- Raised pressure in the eye which is called ocular hypertension (OHT)
You are also at increased risk of developing chronic glaucoma if you are of black-African or black-Caribbean origin. Acute glaucomas are much less common. However, people of Asian origin are more at risk of getting this type of glaucoma compared with those from other ethnic groups.
Tests for glaucoma
Eye pressure test (tonometry)
An instrument called a tonometer is used to measure the pressure inside your eye – intraocular pressure. Tonometry can be useful to identify ocular hypertension (OHT – raised pressure in the eye), which is a risk factor for chronic open-angle glaucoma.
Visual field test
You will be shown a sequence of light spots and asked which ones you can see. Some dots will appear in your peripheral vision, which is where glaucoma begins. If you can’t see the spots in your peripheral vision, it may indicate the glaucoma has damaged your vision.
Optic nerve assessment
Your optic nerve connects your eye to your brain. This can be assessed in a variety of ways during your examination and it is also photographed using a retinal camera. Digital retinal photography (DRP) captures an image of your optic nerve which can be used as reference for future visits and to track any changes that may occur over time.
Managing glaucoma
Glaucoma can be treated but early detection is important. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause visual impairment and damage that cannot be reversed. But if it’s detected and treated early enough, further damage to vision can be minimised or prevented.
So regular eye tests are essential. You should have an eye test at least every two years or more frequently if advised by your Specsavers optometrist. For example, they may suggest you have more frequent eye tests if you have a close relative with glaucoma, such as a parent, brother or sister.
If your Specsavers optometrist suspects glaucoma, you will be referred to an ophthalmologist for further tests. If the ophthalmologist confirms a diagnosis of glaucoma, they will also be able to explain:
- How far the condition has developed
- How much damage the glaucoma has had on your eyes
- What may have caused the glaucoma
They will then be able to advise on treatment which in most cases is simply an eye drop used on a daily basis coupled with regular follow-up appointments.
Drops may be used to examine your eyes in a glaucoma appointment – these can temporarily affect your vision. Please check when making the appointment if you will be able to drive immediately after the appointment.
Managing glaucoma
Glaucoma can be treated but early detection is important. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause visual impairment and damage that cannot be reversed. But if it’s detected and treated early enough, further damage to vision can be minimised or prevented.
So regular eye tests are essential. You should have an eye test at least every two years or more frequently if advised by your Specsavers optometrist. For example, they may suggest you have more frequent eye tests if you have a close relative with glaucoma, such as a parent, brother or sister.
If your Specsavers optometrist suspects glaucoma, you will be referred to an ophthalmologist for further tests. If the ophthalmologist confirms a diagnosis of glaucoma, they will also be able to explain:
- How far the condition has developed
- How much damage the glaucoma has had on your eyes
- What may have caused the glaucoma
They will then be able to advise on treatment which in most cases is simply an eye drop used on a daily basis coupled with regular follow-up appointments.
Drops may be used to examine your eyes in a glaucoma appointment – these can temporarily affect your vision. Please check when making the appointment if you will be able to drive immediately after the appointment.
Did you know an eye test could save your life?
For some of our customers, an appointment with Specsavers has not only saved their vision but in some cases it has saved their lives.
We’re working with the National Council for the Blind Ireland (NCBI) to defend the nation against avoidable sight loss, and support those with eyesight difficulties.
