We know how important your eyesight is to your quality of life. The fact that you're here, eager to find information, proves it! Once you understand what glaucoma is and what you can do about it, you're sure to feel more confident and comfortable about dealing with your condition.

What is glaucoma?

To put it simply, glaucoma is a progressive eye disease that damages the optic nerve. Because the optic nerve transmits information from your eye to your brain, glaucoma can result in a gradual, irreversible loss of vision and eventually blindness if left untreated. High eye pressure, or intraocular pressure (IOP) is often present and is considered a risk factor for glaucoma. The good news is you may be able to slow or even stop glaucoma from progressing with treatment, such as medication.

Signs and symptoms

One of the most troubling things about glaucoma is that you literally don't see it coming. Primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form, is usually painless and has virtually no symptoms. As a result, you may be unaware of your condition – or skeptical that you're at risk – until damage has already occurred. Even when damage to your sight has occurred, you still may not notice because you may be unconsciously turning your head to compensate.
 

Importance of early detection

Because you don't feel anything with glaucoma, it's important to get checked regularly by your eye doctor. Your doctor has routine tests to detect high eye pressure, one of the main causes of glaucoma. The sooner high eye pressure is detected, the better chance you’ll have to preserve your sight.