Glaucoma often has no early symptoms, which is why specific tests — eye pressure, OCT and visual field — are used to detect it before vision is permanently affected.
⚠️ Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma — Seek Emergency Care
Unlike the common, gradual form of glaucoma, acute angle-closure glaucoma comes on suddenly and is a medical emergency. Seek immediate eye care — the same day, not a routine appointment — if you have:
What Is It?
Glaucoma is a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, often linked to raised pressure inside the eye. In its common chronic form, it usually causes no symptoms until significant, often irreversible, peripheral vision loss has already occurred.
Because of this, glaucoma is detected through specific tests rather than symptoms alone — which is why a comprehensive eye examination for adults, especially those over 40 or with a family history of glaucoma, includes glaucoma-specific testing.
A less common but more urgent form, acute angle-closure glaucoma, presents very differently — with sudden pain, redness and blurred vision — and needs emergency treatment (see the warning section below).
Symptoms & Indications
Because chronic glaucoma is usually symptom-free early on, testing is recommended based on risk factors rather than waiting for symptoms.
Glaucoma risk increases with age, making periodic eye pressure and optic nerve checks worthwhile from 40 onwards.
Having a parent or sibling with glaucoma raises your own risk and is a reason for earlier, more frequent screening.
Certain medical conditions and medications are associated with increased glaucoma risk and warrant regular monitoring.
Though often unnoticed until advanced, some patients do report bumping into things on one side, or a family member noticing it.
Treatment Options
A quick, routine test measuring the pressure inside the eye — one of several factors used to assess glaucoma risk.
Optical Coherence Tomography images the optic nerve fibre layer, detecting subtle thinning that can indicate early glaucoma damage.
Maps your peripheral vision to detect and monitor any glaucoma-related vision loss, often before you'd notice it yourself.
What To Expect
A glaucoma work-up combines several painless tests to build a complete picture of your eye pressure, optic nerve health and visual field.
Tonometry measures intraocular pressure, a key (though not the only) risk factor for glaucoma.
The optic nerve is examined directly, and often imaged with OCT, to check for signs of glaucoma-related damage.
A perimetry test maps out your peripheral vision to detect any glaucoma-related visual field loss.
Results are reviewed together to determine whether glaucoma is present, and a monitoring or treatment plan and follow-up interval are set.
Please note: A single mildly raised eye pressure reading does not necessarily mean you have glaucoma, and a normal pressure reading does not fully rule it out — this is why OCT and visual field testing are used together with pressure checks, not pressure alone.
Common Questions
Evaluated and treated under Dr. Deepak Gandhi, Director of Gandhi Eye Centre, with clinical experience across cataract, glaucoma, cornea, retina and pediatric eye care.
View Doctor Profile →If you're over 40, have a family history of glaucoma, or haven't had your eye pressure checked recently, book a glaucoma screening at Gandhi Eye Centre, Faridabad.