Hi all.
I wear contact lenses & specs.
I had a regular eye sight test last week and everything was fine apart from the pressure in my eyes.
They check this by blowing a puff of air into your eyes.
They said that the pressure in both eyes was 26 and it should be between 11 - 21 and that they were referring me to the local eye hospital through my GP because high eye pressure can lead to glaucoma.
They took a picture of the back my eyes and looked into them with the light thing that the optician looks through and said that the back of my eyes are ok, nothing looks damaged etc.
They then made me do a feild of vision test, where you look at a dot and press a button when you see a little light appear on different parts of the screen for each eye. That came up fine too.
I asked the optician a few questions but she was vague in her answers which cheesed me off. She said everything looks ok but best to get checked out to be on the safe side. I told her that I was worried as I drive for a living, she said not to worry as they’ll check me out at the hospital and it’ll most probably either be eye drops to lower the pressure or say I haven’t got a problem as eye pressures do go up and down and that they might be fine when they do a more precise pressure check at the hospital.
I’ve done a bit of research on the net but I am still worried.
Anybody else on here had the same thing happen to them??
What was your experience?
My wife has suffered with Glaucoma for several years.She has regular checks on her eyes to check the pressure and has to take a number of diferent eye drops to control it.
The doctor is always quite upbeat about her situation and says there is no reason why they cannot keep her sight for another 40 years,(She’s 62 now!)
At one time the pressure got really high in one eye and that required a small operation to cut a small flap in one eye to rerlieve the pressure,that seems to have done the trick.
You can be more in touch by contacting the International Glaucoma Association,(iga), by visiting their website at:
glaucoma-association.com/nqc … m?a_id=176
Regards.
Winters, Have Trust and Confidence in both your GP and your Optician. Glaucoma is a controllable condition. Keep putting those drops in as prescribed, and all will be well. Bestbooties has given you the link to an excellent, helpful, and confidence inspiring site. Remember. Knowledge is Power. I will wish you Good Luck: Although in this particular case, and being aware of how worrying this is to you, I do not think that you will need it. ps when you go onto Bestbooties link, click on Site map, and its all there for you.
I have glaucoma in my right eye only.
I have had it for years.
I ended up having a ‘shunt’ op done as no eye drops would work.
I have a yearly pressure check at the hospital and DVLA MEDICAL have me do their test (same hospital) every 3 years so I can retain my LGV licence.
The optician one is ok as a GUIDE but not accurate.
You get FREE eye checks and so do your offspring 
If you want any more info please ask either on here or PM me 
I have had eye tests where the optician indicated i have tautous veins in the back of the eye,which is high pressure.It is possible that they can burst in later years,but what with having high tryglyceride/hdl/ldl blood fat lipid levels,it is a case to control the diet and take statin based pills,like lipitor,or roauasvstatin to lower cholestrol levels.Have you had a fasting blood test to measure cholsestrol?
Your licence will be okay as long as you abide by all the rules, drops/checkups etc, worrying makes it worse so if you can try to relax about it - all will be fine. 
Winters:
Hi all.
I wear contact lenses & specs.
I had a regular eye sight test last week and everything was fine apart from the pressure in my eyes.
They check this by blowing a puff of air into your eyes.
They said that the pressure in both eyes was 26 and it should be between 11 - 21 and that they were referring me to the local eye hospital through my GP because high eye pressure can lead to glaucoma.
They took a picture of the back my eyes and looked into them with the light thing that the optician looks through and said that the back of my eyes are ok, nothing looks damaged etc.
They then made me do a feild of vision test, where you look at a dot and press a button when you see a little light appear on different parts of the screen for each eye. That came up fine too.
I asked the optician a few questions but she was vague in her answers which cheesed me off. She said everything looks ok but best to get checked out to be on the safe side. I told her that I was worried as I drive for a living, she said not to worry as they’ll check me out at the hospital and it’ll most probably either be eye drops to lower the pressure or say I haven’t got a problem as eye pressures do go up and down and that they might be fine when they do a more precise pressure check at the hospital.
I’ve done a bit of research on the net but I am still worried.Mate I have had it for 9 years. It’s hereditary and I got it from my mum bless her. I got it at 30 years old and I’m fne. So long as I kepe my eye drops on me at all times then it’s fine I need regular check ups with an eye clinic at hospital but apart from that it is no problem. It is unusual to get it under 45 and when I went to hosptial for it originally the doctor said he was stuned i was so young!
I have only had on eproblem before and that is when I took the wrong eye drops ( I have 3 lots which it the max before an operation is needed) and I woke up and my eyesite was cloudy. I had the pressure checked and they were 45!
As I say I have had it for 9 years so if you have any concerns feel free to message me (I’m not a doctor, but most doctors dont have it either)!Anybody else on here had the same thing happen to them??
What was your experience?
Many thanks to you all for your support and advice.
You are right, worrying about it will make it worse.
Buycrider, I trust in my GP but I’m not too sure about my opticians (a well know national) as I felt I was in a revolving door on my sight test. I was asking her questions and she was just being vague and it seemed that she felt uncomfortable me asking these questions about high eye pressure.
I’m 40 years old and have no history of glaucoma in my family at all. My blood pressure is normal and I did a diabetes check two days ago and that was negative. As for high Cholesterol, I’m getting that checked soon.
Rog, you are right, the opticians reading is only a guidance. I have read on a couple of websites that they do tend to over read a bit at the opticians but you get a more accurate reading at the hospital using a tonometer.
I have my hospital appointment in June.
I’ll let you all know how I get on.
My glaucoma is not hereditary.
The best guess that the medics and I can up with is that it resulted from a ‘hit’ in my younger days 
ROG:
My glaucoma is not hereditary.
The best guess that the medics and I can up with is that it resulted from a ‘hit’ in my younger days
Drugs or a punch?
Punch is an alcohlic drug but I don’t remember squirting any in my eye 
An update…
I thought that I’d get a second opinion about my high eye pressure so I booked another eye test at a small independent opticians that my sister recommended \ uses.
I never mentioned that the well known high street chain said that I had high eye pressure or anything. I just said that I was not happy with them and wanted to go to another optician and that they were recommended by my sister.
Went through it all and had eye pressure checked and it came out normal.
The optician did the pressure check and said to make sure that I kept the eye wide open and not to squint. Where as at the other place they just got the girl behind the counter to do it who just said look at the light and nothing about not to squint.
I had the back of the eye pictures taken. The optician showed me the pictures on the monitor and actually sat there pointing out things on the picture and explaining what was what and what it would look like if something was not right. I had no problems there.
I am well chuffed!! It’s a great load of my mind!!
I’m still going to keep my hospital appointment.
I’m going to sack my well known high street opticians as I felt more looked after by the small independent one.
They are a bit more expensive but the service is far far better. I did not feel like I was in a revolving door.
Winters:
I’m still going to keep my hospital appointment.
Good idea - get the definitive answer from the experts
If you do have glaucoma, you get free eye tests anyway. Best to let the hospital give you an expert opinion though.
I had my hospital appointment last Friday morning.
I had all the tests, one of which was a proper eye pressure test.
They touch each eye with probe and get a reading.
This is done with anaesthetic eye drops.
The results were 19 and 20. The doc was happy with it.
There was another test where they measure the thickness of your cornea similar to the probe test.
This is to check that it was not a false reading.
If your cornea is too thick then it could give you a false low reading and if too thin then it could give you a false high reading. My cornea thickness was ok.
I have to go back in 4 months to recheck pressure (standard procedure) so that they can discharge me.
The doc said my eyes were healthy apart from needing specs.
The doc said there are no signs at all that my eyes have been subjected to high pressure, such as swollen veins or optical nerve damage.
Thanks for all of your support and advice.
I was bricking it for a while.
For eye pressures ALWAYS trust the hospital and not the optician - the hospital method and equipment is much more accurate - the optician can only give an ‘idea’ of what is or might be happening.
Winters:
I had my hospital appointment last Friday morning.
I had all the tests, one of which was a proper eye pressure test.
They touch each eye with probe and get a reading.
This is done with anaesthetic eye drops.
The results were 19 and 20. The doc was happy with it.
There was another test where they measure the thickness of your cornea similar to the probe test.
This is to check that it was not a false reading.
If your cornea is too thick then it could give you a false low reading and if too thin then it could give you a false high reading. My cornea thickness was ok.
I have to go back in 4 months to recheck pressure (standard procedure) so that they can discharge me.
The doc said my eyes were healthy apart from needing specs.
The doc said there are no signs at all that my eyes have been subjected to high pressure, such as swollen veins or optical nerve damage.
Thanks for all of your support and advice.I was bricking it for a while.
19 or 20 is ok. Mine were 10 and 12 last time, however when I woke up a few months earlier with cloudy vision they were 60 something 
. The doctor was somewhat alarmed by this.
Usually every 6 months to a year check ups are required as the medication you use to keep the eye pressures low tends to have to be changed once in a while. If you ever wake with cloudy vision and it doesn’t clear within minutes get straight to the nearest eye clinic hospital even if you have to bang on a door to get in. Once the pressures get too high and the damage is done there is nothing can be done about it. Usually, as a guide under 25 is ok. There’s nothing to stop you going for a free eye test at different opticinas every 3 months so they can do the pressure check just in case. As you have glaucoma you never pay for them anyway and it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you need any more advice just pm me as I have had glaucoma for around 8 years and have the dubious honour of being the youngest sufferer of the condition that my specialist has ever seen! 
I have glaucoma in the right eye only and as it is not passed down from family then they can only surmise that the eye took a ‘hit’ in my younger days.
I have to go to the hospital every 3 years for a DVLA visual fields check to keep my LGV licence - that is in addition to the usual 5 yearly medical check.
I wonder if mine is inherited then, or as a result of kickboxing and not ducking quick enough■■?