Optometrists gain more knowledge of glaucoma

Our understanding of glaucoma has increased dramatically over the years. Originally it was discovered as a very high pressure in the eye; that occurred with severe pain inside the eye, and redness on the surface. This led to blindness, unless the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) was reduced substantially.

Later it was discovered that blindness was occurring gradually in people with modestly high intraocular pressures. It was also noted that certain types of optic nerve changes were occurring along with the elevated IOP’s.

As visual field instruments were invented and automated, we started noticing...