Do You Have the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

Here's the thing, unless glaucoma is nearing its end stage, you won't have any symptoms at all.

Glaucoma is a progressive disease that if left untreated will lead to complete blindness. For reasons that even today aren't completely understood, glaucoma progressively eats away at the optic nerve head. It's a key part of the system that sends information from your eyeball to the brain for interpretation. It is not reversible.

I the general population one in twenty patients age 50 will have it. By the time we reach 80, the incidence rises to one in five. If you have an immediate relative, a parent or especially a sibling, your risk is even higher. The same is true for those of us who are of African descent.

Although glaucoma cannot be completely eliminated, with treatment it can usually be slowed to the point that we will not experience symptoms of vision loss during our lifetime. This usually involves taking drops daily, but can also involve laser and even surgical treatment.

The take home message is this, get regular eye examinations. Don't make the mistake of assuming that you can't have health problems with your eyes just because your vision is good. Early diagnosis is the key to preventing blindness from glaucoma. Have your eyes examined yearly.