Do I have glaucoma

[Margo]

I am new on this site.

In November I had my annual glaucoma test at Boots, not always with the same optician practice, sometimes Vision Express. My father had glaucoma, so it is the free annual test.

I was quite upset to learn that my levels were high and I would be referred to the hospital. however, like most of the hospitals around the country there is a huge waiting list, so I was sent a list of opticians local to me for me to choose one and go to have a second opinion.

The optician I saw seemed as though she was away with the fairies and didn't inspire confidence, she told me one thing and then something else, all the time sipping her stinking vegetable soup (very unprofessional) during the consultation. I then had to go back to her a week later. It appears my levels had dropped and she discharged me. In other words wait till next year and see what's happening then.

I am now very aware of having achey eyeballs and head aches, but wondering if this is physcosomatic?!

I am 72, and have an absolute horror of ever losing my eyesight. I can remember my old dad with his very sore eyes, and always very vigilant in taking his drops, which caused his eyes to bed red and inflamed looking.

I really don't now what to do now? Any suggestions please?

01/10/2009 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 21 LE Average 19 @ 10:40am

RE Average 23 LE Average 21 @ 11:55am

05/10/2010 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 19 LE Average 19 @ 11:10am

21/10/2010 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 23 LE Average 18 @ 2:10pm

07/11/2012 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 22 LE Average 22 @ 1:30pm

11/11/2013 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 21 LE Average 22 @ 12:15pm

20/11/2015 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 20 LE Average 18 @ 2:20pm

10/01/2016 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 18 LE Average 18 @ 3:40pm

07/03/2022 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 25.0 LE Average 25.3 @ 12:36pm

RE Average 20 LE Average 20 @ 2:18pm

06/11/2024 with Non-Contact Tonometry:

RE Average 24 LE Average 24 @ 11:44am

RE Average 25 LE Average 24 @ 12:22pm

[whitedog]

Hi

Your pressures do seem like they are creeping up.

Did you have any scans at the optician?

My thoughts would be to get in touch with your GP. Let them know what your pressures are and that you've been having headaches. And see if they can push for a quicker hospital appointment.

[Margo in reply to whitedog]

Thank you, will do.

[Nonswimmer]

I would go to a different optician and pay the £29.00 for a private eye test, request before the start for a copy of your pressure and visual field results.

[Margo in reply to Nonswimmer]

Thank you, what would the £29 be for? I presume they will do the same as the previous 2 opticians, visual field test, and in the case of Boots puff test, and the second optician anaesthetic and pressure eye examination.

[Sennara in reply to Margo]

if you go to another optician , you may have to pay for their service. Normally NHS free test for Glaucoma they only allow one per year. but you can try. I had a lot of problems . i saved up and went to see a private consultant, whilst awaiting for my nhs appt.

[Margo in reply to Sennara]

Yes, I thought I might incur costs going to another optician.

[Sorshup]

The optometrist speaks. You have had, regrettably, an experience of poor optometric care. As has already been pointed out, an opinion on the likelihood of glaucoma can only be made with the assessment of general eye examination, visual fields and most helpfully, OCT scanning. Have I forgotten anything? Oh yes, eye pressure is of interest but at the only slightly raised levels you report, not a fundamental cause for worry. And it will be the worry that gives you headaches, not the IOP ! Find an independent optometrist (friends' or your GP's recommendation) who will give you the works, as above.

[Margo in reply to Sorshup]

Thank you. I was happy that you didn't consider my pressure levels high. What is OCT scanning? Yes I agree, since I went to the second optician who didn't appear to know what she was doing, and mentioned the word "glaucoma", I have had headaches intermittent eye ache, and bad dreams....

Is it the state of the optic nerve and thickness of cornea that diagnoses glaucoma?

[judetheobscure22]

You have similar eye pressures to me and I do have glaucoma. My understanding is that it is not the eye pressures themselves that indicate glaucoma but damage to the optic nerve. I can tell that I have damage to the optic nerve in my right eye as my visual field is restricted. When I close my left eye, my right eye has a smaller range of vision.

When I initially went to the optician, they tested my visual field with a machine that has a central red dot which you focus on and than white lights of various size and brightness are briefly displayed at points around the central red dot. Did you get this test as that's what optometrists use to indicate whether you have visual field loss?

I didn't have headaches but I did have very blurry vision when I woke up every morning. I believe this is because intraocular pressure rises when lying down.

It was about six months before I received my hospital referral.

[Margo in reply to judetheobscure22]

Thank you Jude? That was what I wanted to know if it was the optic nerve/or vision tht indicated glaucoma.

Yes I had the visual field-test with the red dot, which showed I had reduced vision. Have had 4 of those tests.

I have had blurry vision for as long as I can remember. I always put it down to much use of the computer...

I am speaking to the original Boots optician who has been very helpful in explaining things to me, and as I am new to this game, I haven't been sure of the right questions to ask. Tomorrow when we speak I will ask about previous visual field test I have had in the past 9 years or so. The first visual field I had at Boots (they gave me 2 within 30 minutes), the results were roughly the same, but with the second optician the fields had improved. I wondered if perhaps I had been tired on the original visit to Boots,

The thing that I find confusing, is that the Boots optician said that their tests are unreliable due their machinery, presuming the same at the private optician, it isn't very helpful.

[frankthebank]

Around 25 whilst not alarmingly high, is high. What we don't know when giving advice though are results like what are your drainage angles are like and scans. If you are having trouble getting a hospital appointment it may be worth pushing for an emergency hospital appointment along the lines of very achy eyes and continuous headaches. Sometimes unfortunately this is the only option to get a fast appointment. You don't have to go to A&E to do this just call up eye department. Take care.

[Margo in reply to frankthebank]

Thank you so much for this information, I may well pursue this avenue to get somewhere with all of this. It is the not knowing that is the issue. Once I know what is what I can try to sort out solutions.

[Sorshup]

Having perused all this corespondence, I will try and reduce the dilemma to some essentials. For the IOP to be high enough to cause blurry vision (upon awakening or ar any time) it would have to be way higher than the range Margo reeports. OCT scanning is the definitive objective way of establishing the situation; if having considereed this, and VF etc the optometrist feels referral is indicated. The hospital is likely to respond promptly ONLY if the quality of the referral shows that the optometrist knows what he/she is doing ! Please get yourself to the best person who can do this.

[Margo in reply to Sorshup]

Thank you, I am now on the case.

[Islandhome]

I believe you can have an OCT scan at Specsavers if you pay for it. That may be helpful

[Margo in reply to Islandhome]

Thank you

[Rainyday2024]

Hello Margo,

I am sorry to hear about your bad experiences, especially with the soup-drinking optician! She’s sounds terrible and SO unprofessional - I would be tempted to report her! You need someone who you feel you can trust and will give you the correct advice at such a worrying time. I have never liked those puffer things they use to test eye pressures. The hospital and my consultant all use proper testing things - sorry don’t know the correct word, but I’m sure they must be much more accurate than the puffers. I think it would be well worth your money to have an OCT test at somewhere like Boots or Vision Express. Then they can look at the back of your eyes and check if there’s anything else going on. Could you maybe afford to see an eye specialist for a private consultation? One that specialises in Glaucoma. It’d probably cost at least £150 or maybe more, but it’d be worth it for some sensible answers and advice! I really do feel for you, as apart from all the worry over your eyes, it can also be so stressful trying to get GP and/or Hospital appointments. Kind regards x

[Margo in reply to Rainyday2024]

Thank you so much for your reply. Yes it has been stressful, and a bit of shock, although I don't know why when I am now 72 and dad had glaucoma. I also deal like a lot of us, with other health issues, which I have managed to manage better. I am on new ground here. That said, I feel I am learning fast due to the wonderful helpful replies I have received on here.

(The soup drinking optician, who appeared as mad as a March hare, I could report her, but don't feel inclined to, she probably is totally unaware how unprofessional she is, I will just avoid her)

Thank you again x

[Loki666]

Don't stress yourself out unduly on suspect results from opticians using the 'puff' machine which from my experience vary wildly. Just the fact that they have to average the results is not confidence building.

It would be worth paying to see a specialist consultant ASAP who can tell you definitively what the prognosis is, even if you then use the NHS for treatment. You will be tested with a Goldman machine which is the gold standard for IOP measurement, and he will explain that your pressures will vary from day to day and also within each day; generally higher in the morning and dropping as the day goes on. You should also have your corneas' thicknesses measured as thick corneas mean a figure needs to be deducted from the readings to give the true pressure. In my case its minus 6 as I'm thick!

As already stated the pressures are not the be all and end all, its the damage to the optic nerve that needs investigating and a consultant will check this with a scan.

Best of luck, and as previously said try and get a private consultation if possible.

[Margo in reply to Loki666]

Brilliant, thank you, will look into a private conslt.

[Sapeur87]

Lots of advice here and all valid.My pennyworth as follows:

Go to an established old school Optician with a good reputation.

Full eye exam including OCT scan and Humphrey visual field test.

Optitions cannot diagnose Glaucoma, but a good one will tell you what they suspect and refer you to your GP who will refer to an NHS consultant.

If you can afford it I would then initially go private, as NHS waiting times and standards are all over the place.

General info: My pre treatment pressures were low, between 15 and 20, so pressure is not always a good indicator, my Glaucoma is believed to be genetic (grandfather and sister had it), I had LST laser treatment (which lowered the pressure to 10/12) as I didn't want to take daily drops. I'm now back in the NHS and so far recieving checkups roughly every eight months on average, but it's a constant battle to be seen.

Hope this helps, be proactive, good luck and try not to worry.

[Margo in reply to Sapeur87]

Interesting reply thank you. I would prefer to avoid the drops, remembering my poor old dad having very sore looking eyes because of them.

Thanks again.

[valfrance]

I had IOP for 3 years treated with monoprost pressure was 22 and 23 no glaucoma. 2 months later shot up to 28 and was told had glaucoma. Had bleary vision and pain at sides of face. Until you have a visual field test and other tests do not accept any of their diagnosis. I would go private if you can dont wait. Val france

[Margo in reply to valfrance]

Thank you

[BrownieBaker]

Hi Margo, high pressures don’t necessarily mean you have Glaucoma.

You only have Glaucoma if damage to the optic nerve has occurred. High pressure can be in indicator of glaucoma but not always. Even if it is linked to glaucoma in your case, damage happens pretty slowly and your pressures are just above the normal range so damage at this early stages seems unlikely.

Also modern drops are much better than the old ones and you’ll hardly know you’ve put them in if you do need them.

Try not to worry. With modern treatment you are incredibly unlikely to lose your sight. See if you can speak to a good, knowledgeable optician and stay calm until your consultant appt xx

[Margo in reply to BrownieBaker]

Thank you for your reassuring comments.