Q: My 72 years old father is suffering from glaucoma. He underwent eye tests, which showed that eye pressure was – 21 mm Hg. It is not getting down and the doctor has prescribed Brimolol eye drops. What is the normal level of pressure in the eyes?

A:Glaucoma is an eye disease diagnosed when the pressure in the eye is generally 21 mm Hg or above. The normal pressure of the eye is between 10 to 21 mm Hg. The pressure tends to damage the optic nerve fibres leading to loss of peripheral vision over weeks to months to years. It is a silent disease and is mostly diagnosed on routine eye check-up.

The target pressure to achieve by eye drops varies from person to person though 12-14 mm Hg is a reasonable pressure to prevent further damage to the optic nerve. The doctor will possibly add more eye drops to bring the eye pressure down in your father's case.