I am so scared!

I too was diagnosed at your age w/pressure Ike yours.  I am now 71 & still have not lost any vision. I am on 2 drops.  Will have cataract surgery soon & will have drainage stent inserted.  And, yes, do see a glaucoma specialist, keep all appointments, at one point I was going every 4-6 weeks.  Yes a real pain but worth your vision.  Many advances & clinical trials in progress. If u are diligent about meds & appointments a very good chance u will not lose vision.  I have a friend who has lost all side vision in one eye but she never went for checkups.  When u go after u notice vision loss there is nothing that can be done. Don't get nervous!

Hi. Don't be scared just make sure you see an opthamologist and follow his instructions. Did your Dr not refer you to the hospital specialist? I am 51 now and have had glaucoma for 10 years or more and been on 2 lots of drops. It is in my family so we all had to be checked regularly for it. Sadly mine progressed and I started losing the peripheral vision in my right eye and had to have a Trabeculectomy operation last July to preserve the sight I have left in that eye. The operation was a success and I no longer need drops in that eye as the pressure in that one now is only 7 which is brilliant.

Please do see a specialist and don't take your eyesight for granted. Your eyes are precious treat them with care. Good luck x

Hi Bryon, I’m new to the forum and just read your first post from four months ago.  It took me right back to when I was diagnosed with POAG 4 1/2 years ago.  I was 52 and my highest pressure was 21.   I was so lost and scared.  It’s like you’re thrown into the deep end of an unfamiliar pool and don’t know how to do the new kind of swimming.  Everything seems so urgent but no one else is panicking (which you finally realize, is a good thing).  With experience, you learn that glaucoma is generally slow-moving and there’s time to sort things out and get into a good treatment regimen.  

 How are you doing?  How did your visit go with your doctor a few months ago?

I was diagnosed in 2012 aged 34, pressure was 34 in both eyes and it is suspected I had the high pressure for at least a decade due to the amount of damage to my optic nerve, have since been on almost every drop and in 2015 had grab surgery on both eyes, but still see clearly and only need to use glasses when driving, also recently passed another DVLA medical license at Specsavers and got a 5 year licence, problem I have is I am only 41 so possibly have to try and preserve my vision for another 30 plus years which is quite scary, asked my doctor and he said ask again in 10 years and I will let you know then how much longer I we can try to preserve your sight. Problem comes when like me you are diagnosed later in the disease and damage has already been done, you have less optic nerve to preserve so it becomes even more urgent to keep pressure low, my target pressure is now below 14, at the moment there 15 and 14 so possibly going to need more needling of the blebs before the year is out. I am absolutely terrified of the thought of losing my sight. I am such an active person so don't think I will cope if the worst happens.