Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that lead to damage to the optic nerve, the nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. In many cases, damage to the optic nerve is due to increased pressure in the eye, also known as intraocular pressure (IOP). Glaucoma is known as the "silent thief of sight" because most all glaucoma patients never know they have it until it is detected on a routine eye exam.
If the doctor finds any risk factors for glaucoma during a routine exam, they will order further advanced testing to determine if glaucoma is truly present, and if so, what stage it is in. This testing will include visual fields, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and corneal pachymetry.