Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma refers to a group of disease that can damage the eye’s optic nerve and result in blindness. (The optic nerve connects the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, with the brain). Open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma, but unfortunately half of the people with this condition do not know they have it. It has no symptoms at first. But over the years it can steal your sight. With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss and blindness.

Who are at risk?

• People with family history of glaucoma

• Diabetics

• Myopes i.e. Short sighted individuals

• Everyone over the age of 60.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

At first, open angle glaucoma has no symptoms. Vision stays normal, and there is no pain. As glaucoma remains untreated, people may notice that although they can see things clearly in front of them, they miss objects to the side and out of the corner of their eye. It looks as if they are looking through a tunnel. Over time, the remaining central vision may decrease until there is no vision left.