Glaucoma is a unique eye disease.

It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, yet most people who have it don’t even realise.  In most cases, it has no symptoms until the disease has progressed which is why it is often referred to as the sneak thief of sight.

So what is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a series of optic nerve diseases.

The optic nerve is the nerve that connects the eye to the brain which then processes the visual information.

This means that damage to the optic nerve can result in vision loss.

Usually, the damage starts in the periphery and then progresses towards the centre.

If you have glaucoma and it is not treated, you can go blind.

Any vision loss unfortunately cannot be retrieved, it is irreversible.

The problem with glaucoma, is that there are usually no signs or symptoms.

However if it is caught early and managed well, it can be treated and vision loss can be minimised or even prevented.

What are the treatments?

The only treatment available for glaucoma is to lower the pressure inside the eyes.

Some glaucomas have high pressure in the eyes and some have normal pressure, but lowering the pressure has proven to be an effective method of controlling glaucoma whether your pressure is high or normal.

How do we do this?

There are various ways:

Why see us?

Here at Melton Optical our optometrists are well trained to diagnose and manage glaucoma.  An eye examination for glaucoma is non-invasive and includes:

We have invested in the latest technologies for glaucoma detection and our optometrist Mario Borazio has undertaken additional study in Glaucoma management.

If you have a family history of glaucoma or are over forty you are more susceptible to the disease and therefore it is important to get tested on a regular basis.