About glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage your eye’s optic nerve and result in vision loss and, if left untreated, can lead to blindness. In fact, it is one of the leading causes of blindness in Australia, affecting approximately 3% of the population.

It is more common with advancing age and in women. Nearly half of the people with glaucoma don’t even know they have the disease, so detection is of primary importance.

While there is no cure for glaucoma, the positive news is that, if it’s diagnosed early enough, it can usually be controlled and ongoing treatment can prevent blindness. 

What causes glaucoma

Glaucoma usually occurs when a (blockage of the natural fluid outflow channels causes build up of the fluid in your eye, increasing pressure on the nerve that sends images from your eye to your brain for processing. Eventually, the pressure damages the optic nerve at the back of the eye, and side vision is gradually reduced.

However, glaucoma is not simply a case of high eye pressure that can be diagnosed by measuring the pressure in your eye. 90% of people with elevated pressure do not have glaucoma, and one third of those with glaucoma have a normal eye pressure. In some people, the damage to the optic nerve might be caused by other (possibly unknown) factors.

Whatever the cause, the risk is that because there are often no obvious symptoms, the nerve damage can go unnoticed until a significant proportion of sight has been lost. It’s been called ‘The thief of sight’ because it can develop without showing symptoms to the sufferer of the disease.

Therefore, early detection, diagnosis and treatment by your ophthalmologist is vital to preserve vision. The damage can’t be reversed, so regular check-ups are highly advisable.

If you want to know more detail about what typically causes glaucoma, click on glaucoma symptoms and diagnosis.

People at risk

It’s estimated that of the 300,000 or so people in Australia with glaucoma, nearly 50% of them are unaware they have the disease. So, it’s particularly important to consider if you might be in the risk category. They include anyone:

• With a family history of glaucoma
• With diabetes or high blood pressure
• Who suffers from migraines, Raynauds disease or heart attacks/strokes
• Who is short sighted
• Who has suffered a previous eye injury
• Who uses or has used steroids (eg for asthma, eczema, joint disease, eye disease and others)