What are the necessary steps taken for the early stages of glaucoma?

Continued monitoring: Technically glaucoma is optic nerve damage, which can painlessly & gradually cause vision loss (as tested with a 'visual field' test). Such damage usually occurs with eye pressures too high for the optic nerve to tolerate. If nerve damage and visual field have been documented, pressures can be treated. Consistent, regular testing by a well-trained eye-care specialist is key to good care!

Regular eye exams: Early stage glaucoma should be followed closely to determine the ideal eye pressure range to slow the progressive glaucoma rate of damage enough so that the patient can outlive losing sight in their lifetime. This follow up is determined through multiple visits and various testing early on to determine the rate of change against the predicted number of years left to live.

Early glaucoma: In early stage glaucoma, baseline testing is done with visual field and sometimes nerve fiber layer scanning. The cup to disc ratio of the optic nerve is noted. Treatment by SLT laser or eye drops attempts to lower the eye pressure about 25%. Patients are checked 3 to 4 times per year. Each year, the testing is repeated. If worse, then treatment must be more aggressive.If not worse, you are OK.