Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the world.
Glaucoma is a term that describes a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, which is reponsible for transferring visual information from the eye to the brain.  Damage to the optic nerve can result in sight loss and even blindness.

Over 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma and half of them don't know they have it.  Anyone can develop the disease, though some people are at higher risk, including those with a family history of glaucoma.  The disease is fairly rare for most people below the age of 40 but the risk rises over the age of 40 and continues to increase as we get older.  People of Africa-Caribbean origin are also four times more likely to develop the disease than people of European origin.

Attending for regular eye tests will help to ensure that any signs of glaucoma can be detected early and allow treatment to begin. Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually cause blindness.

Neil Berry Optometrists provide glaucoma screening as part of every eye examination using eye hospital approved equipment.  In addition we also offer Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scans.