Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your eye's optic nerve and gets worse over time. It's often associated with a build up of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.

The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. If damage to the optic nerve from high eye pressure continues, glaucoma will cause permanent loss of vision. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.

Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your optometrist regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs.

If you are over age 40 and have a family history of glaucoma, you should have a complete eye exam with an optometrist every one to two years. If you have health problems such as diabetes or a family history of glaucoma or are at risk for other eye diseases, you may need to visit your optometrist more frequently.