Chronic glaucoma is often called the
"silent thief" of sight.

A person afflicted with chronic glaucoma has no warning sign, no hint that anything is wrong. Untreated, the destruction develops slowly over time.
Glaucoma gradually destroys first the outer fibers of the optic nerve, which reduces peripheral vision (the top, sides, and bottom areas of vision), but not central vision. By the time a person notices that peripheral vision has been lost, permanent damage has already occurred. If the eye pressure remains high, the destruction can progress until tunnel vision develops, and the person is only able to see objects that are straight ahead.
Although there is no cure for open-angle glaucoma, a number of treatments are available that lower intraocular pressure and slow progression of vision loss.