Glaucoma is a group of diseases in which the optic nerve, the cable that carries sight from the eye to the brain, is gradually damaged. Raised pressure inside the eye is the main risk factor, although some people develop glaucoma at normal pressures. The common form, primary open angle glaucoma, is slow and painless.
Vision lost to glaucoma cannot be recovered. The purpose of every treatment is to lower eye pressure enough to stop or slow further damage. With early detection and steady treatment most people keep useful sight for life, which is why screening matters more than symptoms.
Symptoms
- No symptoms at all in the early and middle stages of open angle glaucoma
- Patchy loss of side vision, usually noticed late
- Bumping into objects or missing steps
- Difficulty adjusting to dim light
- In acute angle closure: severe eye pain, a red eye, haloes around lights, headache and vomiting
- In infants: a large, watery, light-sensitive eye
Causes and risk factors
Fluid produced inside the eye drains through a meshwork in the angle between the iris and the cornea. In open angle glaucoma the drain becomes less efficient with age and pressure rises slowly. In angle closure the iris physically blocks the drain, either suddenly or bit by bit. Risk factors include age over 60, a close relative with glaucoma, African or East Asian ancestry, high short-sightedness or long-sightedness, thin corneas, long-term steroid use, diabetes and previous eye injury. Secondary glaucoma follows uveitis, pseudoexfoliation or abnormal new blood vessels.
How it is diagnosed
- Tonometry: Measures the pressure in the eye. A single normal reading does not exclude glaucoma.
- Optic nerve examination: The specialist looks for cupping and thinning of the nerve head through a dilated pupil.
- OCT of the nerve fibre layer: A scan that measures nerve fibre thickness and detects loss before you notice anything.
- Visual field test: Maps your side vision and is repeated over time to measure whether the disease is progressing.
- Gonioscopy: A contact lens view of the drainage angle that tells open angle from narrow or closed angle disease.
- Pachymetry: Corneal thickness measurement, which affects how pressure readings are interpreted.
Treatment options
- Pressure-lowering eye drops: Prostaglandin analogues, beta blockers and other drops, used every day for life. Missed doses are the commonest reason for progression.
- Selective laser trabeculoplasty: A brief outpatient laser that improves drainage and is now often offered as a first treatment. The effect may fade after a few years and can be repeated.
- Laser iridotomy: A small opening in the iris that treats or prevents angle closure.
- Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery: Tiny stents or channels, often combined with cataract surgery, for mild to moderate disease.
- Trabeculectomy: Creates a new drainage route under the upper eyelid. It gives the lowest pressures but needs close follow-up for weeks.
- Drainage tube implants: Used when trabeculectomy has failed or is unlikely to work, for example in secondary glaucoma.
- Cyclodiode laser: Reduces fluid production in eyes with advanced or difficult disease.
When it is urgent
A painful red eye with blurred vision, haloes, headache and nausea may be acute angle closure, which can destroy sight within hours to days. Attend an emergency eye department locally at once. Do not wait for a planned appointment abroad.
Travelling to Türkiye for treatment
Glaucoma is a lifelong condition and the core of care is regular pressure checks and field tests near home. A trip can reasonably offer a full baseline assessment, a second opinion on whether you are progressing, laser treatment, or planned surgery. Trabeculectomy and tube surgery need several checks in the first weeks, so allow a longer stay or arrange shared follow-up with your own ophthalmologist before you book.
Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can glaucoma be cured?
No. It can be controlled. Lost vision does not return, but further loss can usually be prevented.
If my pressure is normal, am I safe?
Not necessarily. Normal tension glaucoma exists, so the optic nerve and visual field also need checking.
Will I go blind?
Most people who are diagnosed early and use their treatment do not. Late diagnosis and poor adherence are the main risks.
Can I have laser eye surgery for my glasses if I have glaucoma?
Sometimes, but it needs individual advice, since it alters pressure readings and the eye is under suction during some procedures.
Should my family be tested?
Yes. Brothers, sisters and children of someone with glaucoma should have eye checks from around age 40, or earlier if advised.