You had surgery for glaucoma? They've been checking me for that. They finally told me that I have "cupping" at, on, near, whatever, the optic nerve. My pressure is normal but I always have a bad result on that aggravating field vision test.
For right now, they're not going to treat it but keep checking. I don't know a lot about the surgery but I've been told that if the treatment plan is the drops, you have to be on them forever. Are those the ones you're using? Or are those just for surgery recovery?
Yes. I have been using drops for treatment since diagnosed at age 28 (now 55). Up to this point the medication route has been adequate, but over the last couple of years my pressure has slowly risen in my left eye, and back in the spring it pretty much jumped overnight up off of the charts, which isn't good.
Fortunately my right eye (yeah, the right eye - and knowing me isn't that appropriate?) has remained stable and my vision is still solid in it, knocking on wood as I type.
Glaucoma is very much a hereditary thing, but not always. My father wasn't diagnosed until he was well in to his 40s, and significant damage had already been done. He has had over 60 surgical procedures since he was my age (he's now 82 and in great health, other than his eyes) and he is now legally blind, meaning very little vision. One of my late sisters (2 of my 3 sisters have passed away from cancer) had serous issues with glaucoma as well, and my living sister has had elevated pressure readings recently. Glaucoma is a serious issue. Get regular checks and don't be shy about starting treatment if on the bubble.
Also, I recommend you find a glaucoma specialist. No offense to optometrists, but they just don't know enough about glaucoma by training to deal with it. And even many ophthalmologist who haven't done extensive training in glaucoma treatment aren't qualified to deal with it. Find an ophthalmologist who is a glaucoma specialist, even if it is just for a second opinion.