Glaucoma occurs due to damage to the optic nerve caused by an increase in the pressure within the eye and can cause irreversible visual loss. It is often called “Silent killer of sight” as it only affects the peripheral visual field in the initial stage and patients are usually unaware of the visual loss. In late stages, central vision is also lost leading to permanent blindness.

Glaucoma often runs in families and may sometimes occur secondary to Diabetes, Hypertension steroid use, following eye trauma or surgery.

Glaucoma can be easily diagnosed by routine eye examination including eye pressure and optic nerve checkup. Advanced diagnostic tests like Perimetry or visual field analysis, Retinal nerve fibre analysis, Ganglion cell layer analysis, Corneal pachymetry etc are essential to diagnose, grade severity and progression of glaucoma.

Once diagnosed, glaucoma is treated with eye drops in majority of cases. Sometimes, cases of advanced glaucoma or patients not responding to glaucoma eye drops may need laser treatment or surgery for glaucoma.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a simple laser treatment for glaucoma which can be done in the OPD. Trabeculectomy surgery is the gold standard in glaucoma surgery with good results in patients not responding to glaucoma drops. Newer surgical techniques include implantation of stents which are considered minimally invasive surgery for glaucoma.