Glaucoma

High pressure within the eye can lead to optic nerve damage known as glaucoma, more prevalent with age and affecting around 2% of people over 40 and nearly 10% over 75. Those with a family history or of Black or East Asian ethnicity are at higher risk. Glaucoma initially impacts peripheral vision, causing blurry patches or missing details, often unnoticed until significant vision loss. In severe cases, central vision can be affected, complicating tasks like face recognition or reading. As you can see from our simulation, items from the peripheral vision are no longer apparent but all of the objects are still on the desk! This is because the brain is filling in the content based on what it can see. It knows, logically, the desk will extend to the left and right and so fills this in but may not include the objects and items that are there. While lost vision cannot be restored, early diagnosis allows for prevention of further deterioration, primarily through eye drops, occasionally supplemented by laser treatment or surgery.