Glaucoma is a condition of the optic nerve where there is progressive damage to the nerve fibers. Everyone is born with a significant reserve of nerve tissue. Throughout life, everyone gradually loses some tissue, but normally, you have plenty left, even if you live to be 120 years old. In glaucoma, the rate at which nerve fibers are lost is too high. Therefore, patients with glaucoma deplete their reserves over time. As more nerve fibers are lost, areas in the visual field where vision is lost develop, known as scotomas or visual field defects. Initially, this is not noticeable because the brain fills in these missing areas with colors that resemble the rest of the visual field.
When someone notices that their vision is reduced, the process of nerve fiber loss is often already very advanced. The faster glaucoma is detected, the greater the chance of stopping this progressive loss of nerve fibers. It's a bit like a snowball effect. A small snowball is easy to stop, but when the snowball is rolling down the hill at full speed and with enormous volume, it becomes much harder or even impossible to stop.
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