Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the internal pressure of your eye rises to a point that the optic nerve is damaged. As the fibres that make up the optic nerve are damaged, the amount and quality of information sent to the brain decreases and a loss of vision occurs.
Glaucoma most frequently occurs in individuals over the age of 40 and there is a hereditary tendency for the development of the disease in some families. If diagnosed at an early stage, glaucoma can be controlled and little or no further vision loss should occur. If left untreated, peripheral vision and eventually central vision will be destroyed and almost complete blindness may occur.
A comprehensive eye examinationis the only way to detect glaucoma. Your optometrist will measure the internal pressure of the eye, look into your eye to observe the health of the optic nerve, and may also assess your field of vision and measure the health of the fibres that make up the optic nerve.