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OHT & Glaucoma
WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?
Glaucoma is an eye condition which can reduce and restrict your peripheral (side) vision. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in the UK, so it is important to detect early.
One of the most common signs of glaucoma is a raised eye pressure. This high eye pressure can damage the optic nerve at the back of your eye, which is important for vision. If not treated, it can lead to peripheral vision loss.
Your clinician can check for glaucoma using equipment to measure eye pressure and to look at the inside of your eye to determine if any of these changes are occurring.
Glaucoma is more likely to occur in people over the age of 40, those with a positive family history and in certain ethnicities such as African-Caribbean and Asian.
Occasionally other eye diseases can lead to glaucoma. Glaucoma is not curable, but it is easily managed through eye drops, laser treatment, surgery, or a combination of all of these.
OCULAR HYPERTENSION (OHT)
This is when the pressure in your eye is higher than ‘normal,’ but you DO NOT have glaucoma because your increased eye pressure has not caused any damage to your optic nerve. OHT can increase your chance of getting glaucoma, but most require monitoring without any treatment. Some patients with OHT do require treatment to lower their eye pressure and reduce their risk of developing glaucoma in the future.
OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA (OAG)
This is when the pressure in your eye is higher than ‘normal’ and has caused some damage to your optic nerve and side vision. Often patients are not aware they have OAG, as most have no symptoms. OAG is manageable through either prescribed eye drops or laser treatment to reduce the eye pressure, but it does require regular long-term monitoring.
ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA (ACG)
This is where the fluid drainage tunnel inside the eye becomes narrow. This causes the fluid to build up and increases the pressure inside the eye.
It can be treated with drops but sometimes laser treatment or surgery are required, in both cases there is a very high success rate. After surgery, you will continue to be monitored regularly to ensure the pressure does not start to rise again.
NORMAL-TENSION GLAUCOMA (NAG)
This is similar to open-angle glaucoma, but the eye pressure is not high and stays within the normal ranges. This can be more difficult to diagnose, so regular monitoring is very important.
Effects of Glaucoma on your vision
Normal Vision
Moderate Glaucoma
Severe Glaucoma
HOW TO TREAT GLAUCOMA
Treatment is usually with the use of prescription eye drops, laser treatment or both combinations.
It is very important to follow the advice you receive on treating and managing your glaucoma due to the risk of permanent vision loss.
Each type of glaucoma will need a slightly different approach to management.
Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT)
SLT laser is the recommended treatment for open-angle glaucoma, and your clinician will discuss if you are suitable for this. SLT laser treatment is painless, takes approximately 10 minutes per eye, and means your glaucoma can be managed with less eye drops.
This is preferable as the long-term use of glaucoma eye drops can cause irritation and redness, and eye drops MUST be taken every day.
SLT laser treatment lasts between 3 and 5 years in most patients and can be repeated if needed.
DID YOU KNOW
That SLT treatment is:
– Delivered within our clinics
– Available on the NHS
– NICE recommended as first line of treatment for glaucoma
EYE DROPS
Glaucoma has traditionally been managed through daily prescribed eye drops. In some cases, this may be a combination of several different drops, and they MUST be taken at the correct time every day to be effective.
These eye drops would be put on repeat prescription from your GP and need to be collected regularly and continued.
Peripheral Iridotomy (PI) Laser Surgery
In some cases of angle closure glaucoma, the fluid drainage can be improved by making a tiny hole in the coloured part of the eye (the iris) with a laser.
This reduces the eye pressure and rarely needs to be repeated. It takes a few minutes per eye, is highly effective but only suitable for specific cases.
Your clinician will advise you if this is a suitable treatment for you.
WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY OF LASER TREATMENT
– You will be scheduled a appointment to attend the clinic on the day of treatment.
– Please do not drive yourself, as your vision may be blurred for the rest of the day, but your vision should be back to normal the next day.
– You will undergo an assessment to check your pre-treatment vision and other measurements. You will then be given some eye drops that numb your eye, which take a few minutes to take effect.
– The Laser treatment is performed in the sitting position with your chin on a chin rest (similar to your usual eye appointments), which lasts around 5 minutes.
– You will then rest the eyes for around 30 minutes in the waiting room, before your vision is re-checked.
– It is advisable to go home and rest.
– We may book a follow-up appointment to check the eyes again in a week or so, depending on the clinician’s findings after treatment.
In most cases, once diagnosed with glaucoma you will need to be regularly checked to ensure the treatment is still working and that the glaucoma is not progressing. It is therefore important to continue attending regular eye appointments with your clinician.
GETTING REFERRED TO EVOLUTIO
If your GP or optician suspects you may have Ocular Hypertension (OHT) or Glaucoma, they will refer you for a comprehensive assessment. Evolutio conducts thousands of Glaucoma assessments annually 
and offers Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) treatment at several clinics.
To be referred to Evolutio, your GP or optician will need to send your referral directly to us.
All appointments and treatments are fully funded by the NHS.
