General
This course expired on 31 December 2025. If you have completed this course, you can print your certificate here.
This course has been replaced with our Glaucoma: Part 5 - Assessment of the optic disc course, reissued in February 2026.
Domains: Clinical practice, Professionalism
CPD Ref: C-101730
CPD Points: 
CPD Type: Non-interactive
Closing Date: 31 December 2025
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and affects 60 million people worldwide. This eight-part series will deal with all relevant key areas, including:
- Glaucoma definitions and classification
- Pathophysiology and risk factors
- Assessment of anterior segment and anterior chamber angle
- Assessment of the intraocular pressure
- Assessment of the optic disc
- Visual fields
- Management, referrals and care pathways
- Treatment.
Before you start the fifth part of the series, please ensure that you have either completed the following courses or are familiar with their content:
- Glaucoma: Part One – Definitions and Classification
- Glaucoma: Part Two – Pathophysiology and Risk Factors
- Glaucoma: Part Three – Assessment (Anterior Segment)
- Glaucoma: Part Four – Assessment (IOP)
The fifth part covers glaucoma assessment of the optic disc.
Unit 7 - Optic discUnit 7 looks at how to assess the optic disc to identify important signs of glaucoma.
The key areas covered are:
- The normal optic disc
- Optic disc changes in glaucoma
- How to measure optic disc size, the C/D ratio and its relevance in glaucoma referral
- How to assess the optic disc - indirect ophthalmoscopy and understanding OCT results
- Case studies.
NICE NG81 and SIGN 144 guidance is discussed and their relevance to referral and management of glaucoma suspects.
At the end of the course you can complete the CPD quiz to gain one non-interactive CPD point.
To learn more about how to assess the visual fields to identify important signs of glaucoma, please go to Glaucoma: Part Six – Visual Fields.
First published: January 2020
Last reviewed: March 2022