Doctors emphasize the importance of annual eye exams for multiple reasons, including early detection of glaucoma. Illustrating why they’re so important, optometrist Steve Langsford, O.D. describes the case of an 85-year-old patient who made an assumption that nearly cost her vision.*

The ‘sneak thief of sight’

A patient was seeing great again after successful cataract surgery on both eyes and believed she didn’t need to keep her annual eye examination. For the next 10 years, she didn’t get her eyes checked. In November 2021, she began noticing pronounced redness and less clear vision in her left eye. In January 2022, the woman visited Langsford’s Oxnard, California office to investigate.

Comprehensive exam suggests glaucoma

The patient underwent a thorough eye examination that included multiple diagnostic tests.

• Vision. Both her central and peripheral (side) vision were suboptimal.
• Eye pressure. Her eye pressure was high, at 26 mmHg in the right eye and 30mmHg in the left eye, whereas values in the teens are optimal for most people, says Langsford.
• Optic nerve health. Her optic nerve, a kind of computer cable that sends visual signals from the eye to the brain, showed changes from elevated eye pressure.

Langsford “strongly suspected” glaucoma in both eyes.

About glaucoma

In glaucoma, fluid pressure inside the eye increases and gradually damages the optic nerve. 

• Glaucoma occurs most often in people over 40 years of age.
• It is most common in older adults and a leading reason for blindness in people over 60.

There’s typically no pain with glaucoma, so the disease often goes unnoticed until, as in this case, vision begins to decline significantly.

• Peripheral vision usually declines first, but central vision can also be impacted.
• Lost vision cannot be regained, so early detection and treatment is critical.

Said Langsford, “[I]t’s all about preventing future [vision] loss and maintaining what they have.”

Treatment regimen, advice

Langsford immediately applied eye drop medication to lower the patient’s eye pressure, then referred her to an eye surgeon. Though surgery was deemed unnecessary, she was instructed to maintain daily eye drops indefinitely to keep her eye pressure stable and preserve remaining vision. She’ll also need regular follow-up and yearly comprehensive eye exams to make sure the drops are still working, and no other eye conditions have formed.

Langsford recommends patients shake their eye drop bottle before use since medication will settle at the bottom. He also suggests:

• Closing your eye for at least a minute after applying drops to ensure proper absorption, and 
• Sitting or lying down when applying drops to help maintain balance when your eyes are closed.

The importance of regular eye exams

An annual comprehensive eye exam is essential to detect vision issues early and prevent irreversible vision loss. Their importance increases as we age and the risk of age-related eye diseases rises. 

By viewing deep inside the eyes, these exams can also detect over 270 general health conditions, such as:

• Diabetes
• Brain tumors
• High blood pressure
• Autoimmune diseases

Like glaucoma, other eye diseases can arise painlessly over time with just slight changes in vision, but Langsford notes that an optometrist can catch these changes at an annual exam.

*Langsford, S. (2022, August 23). Glaucoma caught before woman loses her eyesight. American Optometric Association. https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-deserve-more/doctor-patient-stories/glaucoma-caught-before-woman-loses-her-eyesight