Glaucoma gives almost no warning

Side vision goes little by little and the brain fills in what is missing. By the time you notice, the optic nerve is damaged.

Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, the cable that carries what you see to the brain. It starts at the edges of your vision, moves slowly and does not hurt. The brain fills the gaps with what it expects to find, so for a long time the feeling is that you see fine.

What gets measured

• Intraocular pressure, which is a risk factor and not a diagnosis on its own.
• The look of the optic nerve, examined and documented so it can be compared over time.
• The visual field, which is what shows whether side vision is already missing.

What can and cannot be done

What is already lost does not come back; what remains is protected. That is why treatment is measured in years and in consistency, and why follow-up visits are not paperwork: they are how we know whether what we are doing is working.

Tags GlaucomaOptic nerveVisual field