Glaucoma referral

[Debzz_]

Just had a referral letter for the glaucoma clinic. I knew the opticians were writing to my surgery but he didn't mention glaucoma just that my eyes were dry . My right eye has looked irritated for some time . I'm a bit upset tbh . What can I expect from the hospital appointment. Yet another thing to add to my list !

 

[connie104]

Funny your post came today as I have my glaucoma clinic appointment tomorrow.
I have had glaucoma for about 5 years and mine was picked up at retinal screening at hospital.
On my last appointment 6 months ago they found glaucoma in my right eye so now have it in both eyes although a lot worse in my left eye . Because of this you are no longer allowed to drive unless you inform the DVLC and take their field of vision test to see how your vision is affected!
You will have your field of vision tested at your appointment plus a few other eye tests and the consultant looks in your eyes after administering some drops to look at nerve damage to optic nerve .
She also told me last time I had the start of cataracts forming as well !
Not really uncomfortable but I was there over 2 hours and was glad hubby with me to drive me home .
I will see if my glaucoma has got worse this time before I put in to take DVLC test as I have not driven since last appointment.
By the way I put drops in my eyes morning and night as treatment as hopefully slows down any deterioration. Good luck with your appointment.

 

[Dark Horse]

Firstly, a referral to the glaucoma clinic does not mean that you definitely have glaucoma. It generally means that the optician has spotted some changes that are more common in people with glaucoma. You won't know whether you have the condition until the hospital eye service has run further tests on you and you might even need to be monitored for years before they decide whether you have it.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) occurs when neurons (nerve cells) in the eye are damaged either by raised pressure inside the eye or by being over-sensitive to a normal eye pressure. Untreated POAG (primary open-angle glaucoma) generally progresses very slowly but over the years can cause some degree of vision loss e.g. tunnel vision. Various effective treatments are available, including eye drops which help prevent any deterioration in vision. However, the treatments will not improve vision that has already been lost. The likelihood of glaucoma increases with age and people often don't notice any loss of vision until the disease is quite advanced which is why an optician check at least every 2 years after the age of 40 is recommended.

At the eye clinic appointment, they will generally give you a range of tests which may include:-

• measuring your visual acuity in each eye (by getting you to read an eye chart)
• a field test (you click a button every time yousee a faint light whilst staring straight ahead)
• a scan of the optic nerve (just by looking into a 'camera' and trying not to blink)
• an examination of your optic nerve with a slit lamp
• measuring the thickness of your cornea
• measuring the pressures within each eye

There is another type of glaucoma called angle-closure glaucoma which can come on very rapidly and causes severe eye pain, red eye and the appearance of haloes around lights. This is a different disease and would require a visit to eye casualty.

More information here:- http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Glaucoma/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx

 

[lowedb]

I have been having eye tests every 12 months for a few years now, because my mother has glaucoma and it can run in families. I think they perform the same tests during a normal 2 yearly check, just yearly. She has drops and it seems to be helping her to prevent it getting worse.