Glaucoma in its commonest form is entirely asymptomatic and you cannot rely at all on noticing a change in vision or other eye symptoms to alert you to the possibility that you might have early disease. However, there are some important warning signs you should not ignore.

Many of the patients who were registered blind in 2016-2017 potentially could have avoided this devastating vision loss if an eye healthcare professional picked up their glaucoma earlier. Don't be among those who rely on at home tests only to have their glaucoma fail to be detected until it's too late.

Please, ask what your maximum eye pressures are before you start treatment and keep all copies of your medical reports. It makes managing your eye conditions much easier and much safer.

In this post, I share a story about my most challenging case of 2017. I had a patient who had not seen an optician for 20 years and discovered he had glaucoma. It's a story that exemplifies the importance of having a strong, supportive network to around the patient that can help them make good decisions and help them cope with the initial adjustments after the operation.