What does glaucoma mean for my family member?
- Glaucoma can be treated.
- Treatment can prevent vision loss from glaucoma.
- With treatment, vision can remain stable for the rest of the person’s life.
- Without treatment, people with glaucoma slowly lose vision.
If someone in your family has been told they might have glaucoma, they have the chance to seek treatment to save their vision.
How can I help?
- Come with your family member to doctor visits.
- It never hurts to have a second pair of ears to listen to the doctor’s instructions.
- Help your family member keep track of doctor visits.
- It is important to see the eye doctor.
- If your loved one has to miss a doctor visit, help to get it rescheduled right away.
- Following the treatment and keeping doctor visits is the best way to make sure that your loved one’s vision will last their lifetime.
- Read the medication instructions.
- Make sure your loved one is using eyedrops like the instructions say.
- Sometimes “apps” can help remind patients to take their eyedrops or pills.
- Help put in eyedrops.
- Put in eyedrops for your family member, at least sometimes.
- It can be hard for patients to put eyedrops into their own eyes.
- Keep track of refills.
- Make sure the medicine doesn’t run out.
- Using eyedrops every single day prevents vision loss.
- Don’t let your loved one go without their eyedrops!
- Bring eyedrops to the hospital.
- Your family member should continue using eyedrops, even if they are in the hospital.
- Bring your loved one’s eyedrops to them in the hospital. This is very helpful so that glaucoma treatment can continue without interruption.
- Get yourself tested!
- Glaucoma runs in families.
- If a member of your family has glaucoma, you and your other relatives should also be tested.
- The worst type of glaucoma is the undiagnosed type.
- Without treatment, people with glaucoma slowly lose vision.
- Get your eyes tested!