Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve of the eye and worsens over time. This is often related to an accumulation of pressure in the eye. Glaucoma tends to be hereditary and may only appear later in life.
The increase in pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. If the damage persists, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness in a few years.
Most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain. You should consult your ophthalmologist regularly to be able to diagnose and treat glaucoma before long-term visual loss occurs.
If you are over 40 years of age and have a family history, you should have a full eye examination by an ophthalmologist every 1 or 2 years. If you have health problems such as diabetes, a family history of glaucoma, or if you are at risk of other eye diseases, you may need to go more often.