Dr Moïse Tourabaly · Glaucoma

Glaucoma: a visual field that narrows

A · Pressure and the optic nerve

Cross-section of the eye showing intraocular pressure and cupping of the optic nerve. Cross-section of the eye in profile. Intraocular pressure that is too high, shown by arrows, is exerted at the back of the eye. The optic nerve head hollows out little by little: this is glaucomatous cupping, which reflects a loss of nerve fibres. nerve cupping intraocular pressure

B · What the patient perceives

The same street scene seen at the different stages of glaucoma. A street scene. In normal vision, the whole scene is visible. At the early stages, peripheral areas darken. At the advanced stage, only central tunnel vision remains.

Normal vision: the whole scene is perceived, central and peripheral vision.

Early scotomas: areas of the periphery disappear, often without the person noticing.

Advanced stage: the field shrinks to central tunnel vision; the periphery is no longer perceived.

Glaucoma is most often silent and progressive, hence the importance of screening.

Diagram for educational purposes. It does not replace an ophthalmological examination. Results vary from one patient to another.