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40 Insight Magazine Winter 2025 Your view%u201cIt is nice to know that you are not alone%u201d: Matthew%u2019s storyWhen I was diagnosed with openangle glaucoma during a routine eye test in April 2021, I didn%u2019t think much of it. I wasn%u2019t too concerned and didn%u2019t fully grasp what the diagnosis meant for my future. At the time, I received very little information and wasn%u2019t sure what to expect. My maternal grandmother had developed glaucoma in her late 90s, which entitled me to free eye tests, but I didn%u2019t understand much about the disease.My glaucoma is only in my left eye, and there are no signs of glaucoma in my right eye. Although I have a family history of glaucoma, doctors suspect that mine was caused by a head injury I had when I was 12 years old. Since then, I have also experienced migraines. In the months leading up to my glaucoma diagnosis, I was admitted to hospital three times with stroke-like symptoms which were ultimately diagnosed as a type of migraine. Luckily, since starting treatment for my glaucoma and bringing my eye pressure under control, these symptoms have not returned.The diagnosis itself was quick. In 2022, I was with the NHS for regular monitoring, but there was significant delay in being seen, which led to an emergency admission.Although the pandemic didn%u2019t affect my diagnosis or treatment directly, I believe the initial delays Matthew Weale,Glaucoma UK member%u201cLiving with glaucoma has had a massive impact onmy lifePhotos courtesy of Matthew Weale