Life After Diagnosis
Be ready for regular eye examinations
Your eye specialist or optometrist will perform regular investigations to determine if your glaucoma is progressing. These include measuring the pressure in the eye, (a puff test, or tonometry) a test of peripheral vision,( the visual field test) and an examination of the optic nerve. ( the OCT scan) Progression of the disease is measured by incremental differences in test results which is why regular testing is important.
Follow your treatment exactly and stick with it
Compliance and persistence with your medication regimen is critical. Compliance is the term for following a medication schedule as prescribed by a doctor. Persistence is the term for sticking with it. Non-compliance is a leading cause of glaucoma blindness.
Taking your eyedrops everyday is Compliance. Missing a day or two is non-compliance. If your specialist asks, ” How often do you miss taking your drops” or “Do you take your drops regularly”, it is important to answer this question honestly as they may consider the treatment is not working if they see changes in your pressures.
Ask your doctor questions
Expect answers that you can understand. Discuss your medications, possible side effects, proposed treatments, etc. Your doctor will help you understand your pressure, your type of glaucoma, and its needed treatment.
It is critical that you inform your eye specialist of any other health issues as these may impact your glaucoma treatment options.
Helpful tips
- Use your medications regularly as instructed.
- Know the names of your medicines and how often they are used – Bring a list, or the actual medications to your appointment.
- Inform your other doctors and health care specialists of your glaucoma. Provide them with a list of your medications.
- Agree on a certain frequency of check-ups with your doctor and stick to that schedule. Follow up if you don’t receive an appointment recall.
- Call your doctor if any unusual symptoms or eye problems arise.
- Discuss your glaucoma with family members and suggest that they have a check-up. Do not forget that glaucoma often runs in families.
- Join Glaucoma NZ to keep up-to-date with glaucoma information, invitations to education events online and in your community.
Living with Glaucoma
When you’re faced with the news that you have a medical condition, whether it’s glaucoma or something else, it’s natural to want to do something to reduce the impact or improve your outlook. One of the most common questions we’re asked is about lifestyle changes that might help your glaucoma.
The best treatment for your glaucoma will be prescribed by a medical professional. But there is also some evidence that changing our diet, the kind of exercise we take or even how we lie in bed might influence our eye pressure (also called intraocular pressure or IOP). We know glaucoma is made worse by high pressure in the eye or a reduced flow of blood to the optic nerve, so anything we do that impacts our eye pressure or blood pressure may help.
Find out moreDriving with Glaucoma
When they’re diagnosed with glaucoma, many people worry about losing their driving licence. In fact, only 12% of people with glaucoma lose their licence. If you’re diagnosed early and follow the advice of your doctor, particularly about using eye drops, the chances are that you’ll never lose your licence due to glaucoma.
Find out moreLifeStyle, Diet and exercise
Intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering is the primary focus of glaucoma management. However, many people want to know what else they can do to reduce their glaucoma risk and about lifestyle changes that might help your glaucoma.
Find out moreTreatment
The best treatment for your glaucoma will be prescribed by a medical professional.
Find out moreAlternative Therapies
Given there is no simple cure for glaucoma, it is not surprising people may look to alternative therapies. Find out more about the facts and risks with ‘natural alternatives in place of mainstream treatment options
Find out moreFind Your Support Network
Our support groups are an opportunity to share your experience with like minded people and get support from people who understand.
