08/03/2026
👀🌏 World Glaucoma Week is the perfect time to raise awareness about glaucoma and the importance of regular eye examinations to protect your vision. 👁️✨
Glaucoma is an eye condition that causes damage to the optic nerve - the nerve that connects the eye to the brain. This causes progressive and irreversible vision loss.
It is estimated that one in fifty Australians will develop glaucoma in their lifetime. 50% of people with glaucoma are unaware they have it. This is because vision loss from glaucoma is usually gradual and affects the peripheral (side) vision first. As such, people with glaucoma will not notice any problems with their vision until much later stages. Early glaucoma cannot be self-detected, and can only be diagnosed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Glaucoma and intraocular pressure
Glaucoma is caused by elevated pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure). This results in progressive damage to the optic nerve and consequently, progressive vision loss starting from the periphery. Intraocular pressure, much like the body’s blood pressure, varies day-to-day and throughout the day.
The threshold pressure for glaucoma development varies between people. Some people have high intraocular pressure without glaucoma damage (ocular hypertensive), while others have intraocular pressures classified as normal however do show signs of glaucoma (normal tension glaucoma).
Because of this variability, glaucoma cannot be diagnosed solely on your intraocular pressure, and a number of other tests are often required to confirm a diagnosis.
Glaucoma monitoring
Common tests involved in monitoring glaucoma suspects or patients diagnosed with glaucoma include:
Measurement of your intraocular pressure (tonometry)
Clinical examination and photography of your optic nerve
A specialised scan to measure the thickness of the nerve fibre layer at the back of your eye (Optical Coherence Tomography or OCT)
Examination of your peripheral vision (Visual Field test)
Examination of the drainage angle in your eye: a narrow drainage angle increases the risk of high intraocular pressure (anterior OCT or gonioscopy)
Based on your risk factors, your optometrist will decide during your clinical examination which of these tests are necessary, as well as the frequency at which they should be repeated.
Unfortunately there is no prevention or cure for glaucoma. It is important to note that while treatment can prevent vision loss, it cannot restore sight already lost to glaucoma, which is why early detection is so important. Attending your regular eye examinations with your optometrist gives you the best chance of detecting the disease as early as possible, which can significantly slow down the progression of the disease.
For more information on glaucoma, please visit www.glaucoma.org.au or speak to one of our optometrists. To book an eye test, click here.