Why glaucoma goes unnoticed for so long
Open-angle glaucoma, the most common form, is painless and causes no symptoms at first. The damage starts at the edge of the visual field. Because the brain “fills in” the missing areas and the second eye compensates for the first, the loss goes unnoticed for a long time.
Only when much of the optic nerve is lost does vision become noticeably worse in daily life – and by then the damage is already large and irreversible. That is why glaucoma is called “the silent thief of sight”.
The only way to find it in time is regular eye checks. Acute angle closure is different: it causes sudden severe pain and is an emergency (see the page “Emergency: acute angle closure”).
Working with your doctor
It is very important that you have regular check-ups with your ophthalmologist to monitor the health of your eyes and detect problems at an early stage
