Glaucoma occurs when parts of the retina and optic nerve no longer function. Here, ophthalmologist Jullia Rosdahl, M.D. of Duke Health explains how the eye works, how glaucoma changes your vision, and why comprehensive eye exams are critical for keeping you and others safe.*

How vision is affected by glaucoma

“The way the eye works,” Rosdahl says, “is light comes in through the cornea and the lens, and those structures focus the light on the retina.” The retina then converts the light into an electrical impulse that travels to the brain through the optic nerve. When that impulse reaches the brain, you see images.

When the optic nerve becomes damaged, and retinal cells die, Rosdahl explains, peripheral (side) vision can become blurred while central vision remains clear. As your peripheral vision continues to deteriorate, you won’t see dark patches or black spots, however, because your brain fills in the missing parts based only on what your central vision sees–basically what’s directly in front of you.

This is why driving is so dangerous for people with glaucoma. A driver without peripheral vision, she warns, “won’t necessarily see cars coming [out of a side street], or pedestrians to the side,”  stepping off a curb into a crosswalk.

Glaucoma treatments

Glaucoma has no cure, and causes irreversible blindness, but “there are lots of good treatments,” Rosdahl says, that can prevent further damage. Common treatments include:

• Medicated eye drops
• Laser therapy
• Surgeries

All treatments are more effective, and can go further in preventing loss of vision, when glaucoma is diagnosed and treated early in the disease process, and the treatment regimen is maintained. This is why getting regular comprehensive eye exams is so important.

“If you’re diagnosed with glaucoma, you need to use your meds and come for your follow-ups,” Rosdahl cautions. “Most people who are diagnosed with glaucoma–and treated–won’t go blind.”

*Duke Health. (2022, November 10). How to Tell if You Have Glaucoma | Duke Health [Video File]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgC6OC8SAS4 

Responsum Health closely vets all sources to ensure that we always provide you with high-quality, reliable information. We do not, however, endorse or recommend any specific providers, treatments, or products, and the use of a given source does not imply an endorsement of any provider, treatment, medication, or procedure discussed within.