Living with glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye condition usually caused by a build-up of fluid, leading to high pressure in the eye. This pressure can cause optic nerve damage. Glaucoma tends to affect your peripheral (side) vision first, meaning you might not notice it in the early stages. Symptoms usually appear slowly, so many people aren’t aware they have the condition. Early treatment is key to limiting the extent of sight loss with this common condition.

There are several types of glaucoma. If left untreated, advanced glaucoma can result in vision loss. You can find more information about the causes, symptoms and treatments of glaucoma on the NHS website.

Living independently with glaucoma

In the following video, Siobhan shares her experience of living with glaucoma.

Although the damage glaucoma causes can’t be reversed, a diagnosis doesn’t have to mean you will lose your sight, or that you can’t live a normal life with glaucoma. The sooner it’s diagnosed, the sooner treatment can start to prevent further damage to the optic nerve and further loss of sight.

For many people with glaucoma, the biggest change in daily life will be taking glaucoma medications and having regular eye care check-ups. If your condition progresses and affects your sight, some adjustments can help you adapt and make daily life a bit easier. 

Most people will need to take eye drops long-term or for the rest of their life. At first, you might want to set reminders, for example, on your phone to help you remember to take them. You could also take your medication at the same time as other things you already do routinely, like brushing your teeth.

At Guide Dogs, we have a wide range of services, both with and without guide dogs, and a team of experts who can work with you to understand your needs and agree on a plan that’s right for you.

The ways we could help you:

• Habilitation or rehabilitation of important life skills
• Our guide dog service
• Our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists can make recommendations best suited to you and your needs
• Tips and advice to help you make the most of your remaining vision
• Resources and support on how technology can improve your independence

Peripheral vision loss

If glaucoma affects your side (peripheral) vision, you might experience issues with:

• Getting around outside when there isn’t much sunlight
• Seeing in very bright sunlight or near reflective surfaces
• Adapting to sudden changes in lighting
• Navigating obstacles and hazards
• Walking on unlevel ground, steps, and stairs

Loss of central vision and ability to see detail

If glaucoma affects your central vision, it might cause difficulty with:

• Distinguishing colours 
• Pouring drinks
• Choosing the right item from similar ones when shopping
• Preparing food, for example, chopping vegetables safely

There are some skills and strategies to help you make the most of your remaining vision while living with glaucoma. Anti-glare glasses or coloured lenses can help with bright light, and different types of lighting can help you at home. Some people living with glaucoma also benefit from low vision aids like magnifiers to help better see details.

Glaucoma and work

If glaucoma affects your sight, you may want to tell your employer. They should make reasonable adjustments to help you. You can explain how glaucoma affects your sight and the kind of things that may help you, such as:

• Adjustments to lighting and desk set-up to control glare and contrast.
• Aids such as magnifiers to help with reading.
• Larger print for materials or products you use.

It can help to think ahead about working with glaucoma and whether any of your responsibilities might need to change if you experience vision loss. You could speak to your employer about what alternatives there might be.

Driving with glaucoma

If you have glaucoma, it’s possible to continue driving as long as your treatment effectively prevents loss of vision, and you meet the necessary driving standards.

Any medical condition that can affect your driving must be reported to the DVLA, including eye conditions. You must tell the DVLA if you have glaucoma in both eyes (or, if you’re a commercial driver, in one eye). You’ll also have to tell your insurer. Because glaucoma affects your field of vision, you’re likely to need regular visual field tests to check your vision is still safe to drive.

Support for people with glaucoma

It’s normal to worry if you get a diagnosis of glaucoma. Some people will be able to make simple changes to manage the condition, while others will experience significant visual impairment. Either way, it’s important to know there's support out there for you.

You can ask your eye specialist or clinic for a low vision assessment (LVA) to get tailored advice and support to make the most of your sight. Local social services can also advise about keeping safe at home and getting around safely if sight loss affects your mobility.

There’s lots of practical advice to help manage changes to your sight. But talking to someone can also help you deal with the emotional side of being diagnosed with glaucoma. Our Guide Line can help you find support groups and services local to you. Sharing your feelings and talking them over can boost your confidence about living with glaucoma or any other eye disease. Your family members might also benefit from understanding more about living with glaucoma and how to support you.

Support organisations

• Glaucoma UK

Edited and reviewed by Susie Baker, Principal Vision Rehabilitation Specialist on 21 May 2025

Guide Dogs is committed to working alongside people with a range of vision impairments, who are registered as either sight-impaired or severely sight-impaired.

Our staff undergo comprehensive training in supporting individuals with vision impairment, to enable us to support you every step of the way through one of our many services, with and without dogs. We foster knowledge of living with vision impairment and create content in collaboration with our Vision Rehabilitation Specialists and Habilitation Specialists.

This content is periodically reviewed as we continue to embrace new knowledge and up-to-date information, in order to improve how we deliver our services and advice.

Please note: Whilst Guide Dogs may be able to suggest various third-party websites which may be able to assist you, those are not endorsed by Guide Dogs. Guide Dogs have no control over those third parties and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of information and support they can provide or the suitability and quality of any products or services they provide.

Frequently asked questions