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Please find below answers to some commonly asked questions about glaucoma.
Is there any way to prevent glaucoma?
No, but regular eye checks will enable early detection and treatment. Sight tests are free for diabetics and parents, children, brothers, and sisters of people with glaucoma.
Can I continue to drive?
The law requires you to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and your insurance company, of any change in health or sight likely to affect the safety of your driving such as being told you have glaucoma in both eyes. You must be able to read a number plate at 20.5 metres (25 yards) in good daylight and with spectacles if worn. You must also have an adequate field of vision. The DVLA may request that you go to an optometrist registered with them for the appropriate field test. Standards are more stringent for vocational drivers. To drive when you are unable to meet the standard is an offence and may invalidate your insurance. Inability to meet these standards requires you to notify the DVLA. You should not drive until you have had confirmation that your vision meets the standards. For more detailed information, please contact the DVLA.
Will I go completely blind if I am diagnosed with glaucoma?
Patients with glaucoma rarely lose their sight completely. Providing you receive the correct treatment, use the drops or drugs as prescribed, and attend your follow up appointments and checks, the risk of sight loss should be minimised.
How did I get glaucoma?
Glaucoma is not catching, and is not caused by diet, work or other factors. Many people get glaucoma as they get older, and it seems to be part of the natural ageing process. Some groups of people are known to be at more risk:
- relatives of someone diagnosed with glaucoma (particularly siblings),
- Afro-Caribbean people, and
- people with severe myopia (short-sightedness).
