Glaucoma

Primary open‑angle glaucoma: This is the most common type. It builds up slowly over time. Most people don’t notice any symptoms until they start to lose some of their peripheral vision. Regular eye tests combined with OCT are the best way to catch it as early as possible. 

Angle‑closure glaucoma: This type is more sudden. It happens when the fluid inside your eye can’t drain properly because the drainage angle is blocked. It can cause a sharp rise in pressure and comes with noticeable symptoms like eye pain, red eye, blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, headache, or feeling sick. It needs urgent treatment to stop permanent sight loss, so if you get these symptoms, don’t wait.

Secondary glaucoma: This is when glaucoma is triggered by something else going on with your eye. There are a few forms: Inflammatory glaucoma, Neovascular glaucoma and Traumatic glaucoma. If your optometrist spots one of these, they’ll work out what’s behind it and talk you through the right treatment plan. 

Normal‑tension glaucoma: Not all glaucoma comes with raised eye pressure. In this type, the pressure is within the “normal” range, but the optic nerve still gets damaged. We’re not always sure why, but it’s more common if you have low blood pressure or a family history. That’s why we don’t just rely on pressure tests, we check your optic nerve and vision, too.

Eye pressure test (tonometry): This checks the pressure inside your eye – a key part of spotting glaucoma early. We use a gentle puff of air or a light‑touch probe to see how much pressure is building up. It’s over in seconds and helps us see whether your eye is holding on to more fluid than it should. High pressure doesn’t always mean you’ve got glaucoma, but it’s a sign worth watching. 

Optic nerve check: We shine a light at the back of your eye to take a close look at your optic nerve, the part that connects your eye to your brain. Glaucoma damages this nerve over time, so we look for changes in its shape, colour or structure. It’s a simple check, but it tells us a lot. 

OCT scan (Optical Coherence Tomography): Think of this like an ultrasound for your eye. It creates a detailed 3D image of the layers inside the back of your eye. We use it to spot thinning or damage in the nerve fibres, often before any sight is lost. It’s a quick, non‑contact scan that’s become a key part of early glaucoma diagnosis. 

Visual field test: This checks what you can see at the edges of your vision, even when you’re looking straight ahead. You’ll look into a dome and press a button whenever you see small lights pop up. It helps us find blind spots or gaps in your side vision, which are common in glaucoma. 

Gonioscopy: We use a small lens with a mirror to get a proper view of your drainage angle, the bit of your eye where fluid flows out. This helps us see if that angle is open or blocked, which tells us what type of glaucoma you might have. It’s done in the consulting room and only takes a few minutes. 

Corneal thickness test (pachymetry): Your cornea, the clear front part of your eye, plays a part in your pressure reading. If it’s thicker or thinner than average, it can change how pressure shows up in tests. We use a quick, painless tool to check this and make sure we’re getting accurate results. 

Optic disc cupping: The optic disc is the visible part of the optic nerve at the back of your eye. In glaucoma, it can start to hollow out – we call this cupping. We check for it using magnification and OCT scans. The more pronounced the cupping, the more pressure the nerve may be under.