In general, from the best data in developed countries of the world, the risk of reaching that level of visual loss with a diagnosis of glaucoma is about 5%. In many of those people, the visual loss is compounded by the added presence of other eye conditions such as macular degeneration.
While there is no cure for glaucoma, people experiencing the condition can enjoy a normal, active, and fulfilling life by keeping the condition under control to slow or prevent vision loss.
But for most people, glaucoma does not have to lead to blindness. That is because glaucoma is controllable with modern treatment, and there are many choices to help keep glaucoma from further damaging your eyes. Treatment cannot reverse damage that has already occurred, but it can prevent further vision loss.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness
And unfortunately approximately 10% of people with glaucoma who receive proper treatment still experience loss of vision.
Glaucoma is treatable when caught early but has no warning signs. It affects peripheral vision first—meaning a patient could have “perfect” 20/20 vision but still have glaucoma.
Absolutely. The aim of treating patients with glaucoma is for them to be able to maintain their quality of life and live as normally as possible. Patients with glaucoma have a normal life expectancy and, with treatment, can carry out activities as they did before diagnosis.
Untreated glaucoma can progress to blindness within several years. Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a less common form that can impair vision much more quickly. Early diagnosis and treatment usually results in excellent success and saved vision.
One of the most frequent questions we get from patients with glaucoma is “Will I go blind?” Glaucoma is indeed a potentially blinding disease. Worldwide, it is the second most common cause for irreversible blindness. However, with early diagnosis and modern treatment, blindness is very uncommon.
Take Action to Prevent Vision Loss
If you are in a high-risk group, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam to catch glaucoma early and start treatment. Prescription eye drops can stop glaucoma from progressing. Your eye care specialist will recommend how often to return for follow-up exams.
In glaucoma, the nerve fibers carrying peripheral vision are affected first. This reduction in side vision can be gradual and is usually asymptomatic. By the time it affects central or reading vision, tremendous damage to the nerve has already occurred.
By the time you notice vision loss from glaucoma, it's too late. The lost vision cannot be restored, and it's very likely you may experience additional vision loss, even after glaucoma treatment begins.
High trans fats have been proven to cause damage to the optic nerve. Time to cut out fried foods, baked goods and any product with an ingredient list that includes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Saturated foods that include red meat, beef, lard, shortening and oils can also worsen glaucoma.
Eye pain or pressure. Headaches. Rainbow-colored halos around lights. Low vision, blurred vision, narrowed vision (tunnel vision) or blind spots.
If your eyes become tired with prolonged concentration, you can rest them periodically - but please don't worry that you have done them any harm. Similarly, longer distance viewing such as driving, watching TV or going to the movies does not harm your eyes.
What's the most common age for developing glaucoma? You are most at risk for developing glaucoma if you are 40 years old or older. But that's not to say that this is the only time you can develop glaucoma. Like any other health condition, anyone can develop glaucoma.
The prognosis for glaucoma depends on the stage at which it is detected. If it is diagnosed before it damages the optic nerve, the prognosis is generally very good, so long as the patient follows the treatment correctly.
“Although the study closely checked for possible glaucoma progression, many of the patients remained stable over time, even those in the control group,” Dr. Heijl said. “On the other hand, despite the clear effect of treatment, glaucoma progressed in as many as 30 percent of treated patients after four years.”
While there's still no cure for glaucoma, the research team hopes to advance towards clinical trials for this new technology in the near future. Its success could allow long-term treatment of the disease with a single eye injection, saving patients time and money, and improving their quality of life.
At this stage, glaucoma is quite advanced. Stage four is characterized by damage to the optic nerve. This is a situation that will need to be corrected for the patient to continue functioning normally. Stage five is the last stage where vision loss occurs.
Conclusions: Vision loss in patients with glaucoma is not as simple as the traditional view of loss of peripheral vision. Needing more light and blurry vision were the most common symptoms reported by patients with glaucoma.
Even with treatment, about 15 percent of the time glaucoma can lead to blindness in at least one eye over a period of 20 years. Vision loss from glaucoma generally progresses slowly.
stages: stage 0 (normal visual field), stage I (early), stage II (moderate), stage III (advanced), stage IV (severe), and stage V (end-stage). Staging criteria are based mainly on the HVF, with MD as the primary measure.
Bono, Whoopi Goldberg, and Christie Brinkley have something in common: glaucoma.