A Q and A on Glaucoma

Damage to the optic nerve, usually associated with raised pressure inside the eye.

Key takeaways

• Common type: primary open-angle glaucoma, symptomless until advanced
• Main risk factors: age, family history, African or Caribbean origin, short sight
• Most useful single change: Have regular eye tests, particularly over 40.
• Commonest mistake: Stopping drops because your vision seems unchanged.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What is Glaucoma?

Damage to the optic nerve, usually associated with raised pressure inside the eye.

Why does it matter?

It destroys peripheral vision painlessly and irreversibly, and is usually found on a routine eye test rather than by the person affected.

Common type for Glaucoma?

Primary open-angle glaucoma, symptomless until advanced.

Main risk factors for Glaucoma?

Age, family history, African or Caribbean origin, short sight.

Vision already lost for Glaucoma?

Cannot be restored.

What is the single most useful thing to do?

Have regular eye tests, particularly over 40.

What is the most common mistake?

Stopping drops because your vision seems unchanged.

When should I see a doctor?

Call 999 or go to A&E for a sudden severe painful red eye with blurred vision, haloes around lights, headache, nausea and vomiting — acute angle-closure glaucoma is an emergency and can destroy sight within hours. Seek same-day advice for any sudden vision change.

Where to go next

• Glaucoma: What Published Guidance Supports
• Understanding Glaucoma: A Plain-English Explainer
• Glaucoma — the reference entry
• The Evidence on Cataracts, Without the Hype
• Macular Degeneration: What the Evidence Actually Says

When to speak to a doctor

Call 999 or go to A&E for a sudden severe painful red eye with blurred vision, haloes around lights, headache, nausea and vomiting — acute angle-closure glaucoma is an emergency and can destroy sight within hours. Seek same-day advice for any sudden vision change.

Where this comes from

• NICE — Glaucoma: diagnosis and management
• NHS — Glaucoma

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.