Glaucoma
High pressure is a reason to treat, not always to operate
Fluid inside the eye has to drain away. If the drain is slow, pressure builds and squeezes the nerve at the back. Damage is silent and does not come back, so the aim is to stop more of it.
50 sec“One high reading is not a reason to operate.”
Glaucoma consultant
What the doctor says
“One high reading is not a reason to operate.”
Glaucoma consultant · No theatre to fill
- Drops first, a clinic laser next, surgery only if damage keeps spreading.
- Ask to see two field tests side by side, not one.
- Pressure at target with stable fields means you can keep waiting.
The filmed clip is being recorded. The words above are the same points the doctor makes on camera.
Ask a doctor about my own scansAdvised a glaucoma operation? Get the numbers checked first.
Send your scans. A senior eye doctor who will never operate on you reads them and writes a plain answer in two days.
The order treatment usually follows
- Eye drops, one bottle first, more only if needed
- A quick laser to open the drain, done in clinic
- Surgery to build a new drainage route, when the first two are not enough
Skipping straight to step three deserves a clear explanation.
Now or not yet
Surgery is usually needed
- Pressure stays high even on the maximum drops you can tolerate
- Field tests over time show the damage is still spreading
- The nerve is already badly damaged and any further loss is dangerous
- An angle-closure attack, where pressure shoots up with pain
You can usually take your time
- Pressure is at target on drops and fields are stable
- One high reading with no nerve damage on OCT
- You have never actually tried a proper course of drops
- You were told to operate because drops are 'a nuisance for life'
Ask to see three things
- Your pressure readings across visits, not just today's
- Two or more field tests side by side, to show change over time
- The OCT nerve thickness report
One test on one day cannot prove glaucoma is getting worse. A pattern across time can.
Go to an eye hospital today if
- Severe eye pain with a red eye, headache and vomiting
- Rainbow rings around lights with blurred vision
- Sudden loss of a chunk of vision
Not sure if you need surgery?
Send us your scans. A senior eye doctor who will never operate on you reads them and tells you the truth in two days.