Over 4,000,000 Americans are living with glaucoma, many without knowing. A woman in her fifties details her subtle symptoms, and how her sight was saved.
Here’s How I Knew I Had Glaucoma: A Patient’s Story After Putting Off Eye Check-ups
Published on Mar. 19, 2025
The Cleveland Clinic explains that glaucoma, also referred to as the “silent thief of sight,” is a group of eye diseases that gradually damage the optic nerve, typically due to increased pressure inside the eye. Over time, this damage can lead to permanent vision loss, and in some cases, blindness.
What makes glaucoma particularly concerning is that it often starts without any obvious warning signs. By the time an individual realizes something is wrong, their eyesight may already be compromised.
A 2024 study published in JAMA Ophthalmology estimated that more than 4,000,000 Americans—about 1.6% of adults—are living with glaucoma with many unaware of their condition. Paul Sieving, MD, PhD, ophthalmologist and former director of the National Eye Institute, highlighted this concern in an interview with NIH News in Health, stating, “Studies show that at least half of all people with glaucoma don’t know they have this potentially blinding eye disease.”
But, there’s encouragement: “Glaucoma can be detected in its early stages through a comprehensive dilated eye exam,” Dr. Sieving has said. That’s why routine eye exams are essential for early detection.
Glaucoma symptoms vary depending on the type of disease. The most common form in the United States, open-angle glaucoma, develops gradually, causing blind spots in peripheral vision that may go unnoticed for years. A more severe form, angle-closure glaucoma, can trigger sudden eye pain, blurred vision, nausea, and halos around lights—a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
While there is no cure for glaucoma, early detection and treatment can slow or even prevent further vision loss. This is especially critical for people over age 40, those with a family history of glaucoma, individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, and people of African, Hispanic, or Asian descent, who are at higher glaucoma risk.
Ahead, we share the story of Debbie Welch, 59, from Orlando, FL, who shares the glaucoma symptoms she experienced and how swift action helped protect her vision.
“Here’s How I Knew I Had Glaucoma”: A Patient’s Story
By Debbie Welch, as told to Dr. Patricia Varacallo, DO
I was diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma at age 58, a little over a year ago. Looking back, I realize I had warning signs, but I didn’t recognize them at the time.
Glaucoma symptoms
I’ve always considered my eyesight to be good. I never needed glasses for distance and had only recently started using mild reading glasses. I’ll admit that I hadn’t been diligent about routine eye exams.
About 18 months ago, I started noticing small oddities in my vision. When I was driving, I occasionally failed to see a car in the next lane until it was right beside me. A few times while I was out walking, I was startled by people approaching from my far left side that I simply hadn’t seen. I also had minor headaches now and then, which I attributed to stress.
One evening, however, I was watching TV and closed my right eye; I realized that the image in my left eye was a bit hazy and that I was missing some vision off to the side. That really scared me—it was as if a patch of my peripheral vision in the left eye was just gone.
My glaucoma diagnosis
That alarm was my sign I needed to see an eye doctor.
During the exam, the optometrist checked my eye pressure and immediately noted it was very high, about 28 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) in my left eye. My eye doctor explained a normal value is roughly between 10 and 21. The pressure in my right eye was 22. That made it, too, borderline high.
My eye doctor looked at my optic nerves with special lenses and found that the nerve in my left eye looked damaged. He then performed a visual field test. I stared into a bowl-shaped machine and clicked a button when I saw blinking lights in my periphery. The test confirmed I had significant blind spots in the peripheral vision of my left eye and a few smaller ones in the right.
After these tests, the optometrist gently told me that I likely had glaucoma and needed treatment right away. I was stunned. I remember asking, “Are you sure I have glaucoma? Could it be something else?” But the diagnosis was clear.
He referred me to an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor specializing in eye care, that same week. I was terrified that I was going blind, especially hearing that my left eye was already in an advanced stage of glaucoma.
The ophthalmologist was very calm and reassuring, but also frank. She told me that I had likely had glaucoma for years without knowing it. In my case, it was primary open-angle glaucoma in both eyes—moderate in the right eye and quite advanced in the left.
I asked if I was going to lose my vision. She explained that while lost vision can’t be restored, we can prevent it from worsening. She started me on treatment immediately that day.
Glaucoma treatment
My first treatment was pressure-lowering eye drops. The ophthalmologist prescribed a prostaglandin analog drop to use once every night in each eye. She explained that this medication would help fluid drain out of my eyes better, lowering the pressure. She also gave me a beta-blocker drop to use in the mornings for the left eye, which had the higher pressure.
Over the next few weeks, I returned for follow-up appointments to check on whether the drops were working. Thankfully, they were. My eye pressure came down to about 14 mmHg in both eyes, which the doctor said was a good, safe level for me.
After a couple of months, we repeated the visual field test and it showed no progression, which was a huge relief. Physically, I can’t feel the pressure in my eyes, but I did notice that my vision stopped getting worse once treatment started. I haven’t had any new vision loss since my diagnosis, and I’m careful to keep it that way.
My treatment plan now is all about maintenance and monitoring. I use my glaucoma eye drops every single night (I have to set an alarm on my phone so I never forget). Every three months I see my doctor for a check-up. At each visit, they measure my eye pressure and examine my optic nerves to make sure there are no changes. So far, so good—the disease has been stable for the past year.
We also discussed other options in case my glaucoma worsens in the future. My doctor mentioned a laser treatment (laser trabeculoplasty) that can further improve fluid drainage, and even surgery (trabeculectomy or a stent) if needed. But as long as the drops keep my pressures low and my vision steady, we’ll stick with medications.
Life after my glaucoma diagnosis
Living with glaucoma has been an adjustment, but I’ve adapted. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that I have lost some vision in my left eye.
I’ve also made my home more friendly to glaucoma: I’ve added extra lighting in dim hallways, and I’m mindful of tripping hazards (since peripheral vision loss can make it easy to miss objects low to the ground). In day-to-day life, most people wouldn’t know I have an eye disease. I can still read, work at my computer, and do my hobbies like before. I just have to be vigilant about my eye care and with some simple lifestyle adjustments.
Perhaps the biggest change in my life is that I will never skip an eye exam again. Looking back, I wish I had scheduled one sooner; maybe my left eye wouldn’t have been so severely affected. But rather than focusing on regrets, I choose to be grateful that I caught it when I did. Now, I never miss an appointment, and I encourage everyone—friends, family, and anyone reading my story—to do the same. A simple exam can make all the difference in protecting your vision.
What to do if you suspect you have glaucoma
If you think you may have glaucoma, don’t wait—schedule an eye exam with a specialist as soon as possible. An eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist is the only way to confirm a diagnosis. Primary care physicians (PCPs) do not have the specialized tools needed to detect glaucoma, so it’s best to go directly to an eye doctor.
In most cases, glaucoma develops gradually, so a prompt but non-emergency eye exam is sufficient. However, some symptoms require immediate medical attention. If you experience sudden, severe eye pain, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, headache, or halos around lights, this could indicate acute angle-closure glaucoma, a medical emergency. In this case, seek emergency care right away at an ER or urgent eye clinic, as untreated pressure buildup can lead to permanent blindness within days.
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