Glaucoma is often called the sneak thief of sight. 

It is so because there are no apparent Glaucoma symptoms until the condition has progressed.

This is why almost 50% of people with Glaucoma don’t know about it till the disease has progressed, says CDC.

It is, therefore, important to catch on to the early symptoms of Glaucoma.

This will help to preserve and prevent further deterioration of your vision.

In this article, you will find Glaucoma symptoms that a patient might experience, their diagnosis and if you are at risk of Glaucoma.

Open-Angle Glaucoma

Typically, there are no early signs of open-angle Glaucoma.

These Glaucoma symptoms develop slowly over time as patchy blind spots in your peripheral vision.

It later disrupts your central vision causing difficulty in seeing things.

By the time you notice the vision loss, the condition is at an advanced stage.

Acute angle-closure Glaucoma

Acute angle-closure Glaucoma is also called closed-angle Glaucoma or narrow-angle Glaucoma.

Symptoms of this type of Glaucoma develop quickly and are very noticeable.

The following are commonly observed Acute angle-closure Glaucoma symptoms:

  • Hazy or blurred vision
  • Severe eye and head pain
  • Rainbow-colored circles around bright lights
  • Nausea or vomiting (accompanying severe eye pain)
  • Sudden sight loss

Normal-tension Glaucoma

Patients with Normal-tension Glaucoma usually exhibit no symptoms in the early stages.

They might even be unaware of the vision defects at the moderately advanced stage of the condition.

In later stages, patients usually experience 

  • Loss of side vision
  • Difficulty with low-contrast situations
  • Awareness of visual field defects

Glaucoma in children

Glaucoma in children is rare as compared to adults.

In the general population, about 1 out of every 10,000 babies is born with primary congenital/infantile Glaucoma.

Glaucoma in Children
Congenital Glaucoma exists since birth.

Infantile Glaucoma develops within the first 24 months after the birth of a child.

Juvenile Glaucoma develops after three years of age.

The most common observed in congenital/ infantile Glaucoma symptoms include the following:

  • Increased blinking
  • Excessive tearing
  • Light sensitivity
  • Dull/cloudy cornea

However, like adult Glaucoma, juvenile Glaucoma develops without any apparent symptoms.

It includes the following:

  • Blurred vision
  • Headache
  • Nearsightedness gets worse

Pigmentary Glaucoma

An elderly man facing issues with Glaucoma
Glaucoma patient

Pigmentary Glaucoma is a secondary open-angle Glaucoma.

It has no visible symptoms in the early stages.

But as the condition progresses, the following symptoms appear.

  • Blurred vision 
  • Gradual loss of peripheral vision
  • Halos around light

Neovascular Glaucoma

It is another type of secondary Glaucoma related to retinal disease.

Symptoms of neovascular glaucoma include the following:

  • Decreased vision
  • Photophobia
  • Corneal edema
  • Conjunctival injection
  • Rubeosis
  • Inflammation
  • Hyphema
  • Vitreous hemorrhage

It might be accompanied by headaches and nausea

Uveitic glaucoma

A common complication of uveitis is uveitic Glaucoma affecting 20% of the patients.

Symptoms of acute Uveitic glaucoma include the following:

  • Pain
  • Blurry vision
  • Headache
  • Photophobia
  • Colored haloes

Traumatic Glaucoma

All types of eye injuries have the potential to raise the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the affected eye in different ways

People who suffer from traumatic Glaucoma experience the following signs and symptoms:

  • Aching pain in the eye
  • Blurred vision
  • Light sensitivity
  • Blood collection and inflammation of the eye

Pseudoexfoliative Glaucoma

Up to 50% of eyes with Pseudoexfoliative syndrome have pseudoexfoliative Glaucoma.

Patients with this type of Glaucoma often come in with an advanced condition in one eye. 

If this is the case, they may have noticed their vision getting worse over time.

Rarely, there is a sudden rise in IOP, which can cause pain, blurred vision, and seeing haloes around lights.

Diagnosis and Tests

Glaucoma checkup
Glaucoma checkup

Your doctor will conduct a comprehensive eye exam.

It usually starts with reviewing your medical history. They will then perform several painless tests:

  • Tonometry to check intraocular pressure
  • Dilated eye exam to test for optic nerve damage
  • Visual acuity test to check for areas of vision loss
  • Perimetry to check for loss of peripheral vision
  • Pachymetry to test for the thickness of the cornea
  • Gonioscopy to check for the drainage angle, i.e., where the iris meets the cornea
  • Optic nerve imaging, wherein photographs of the optic nerve are taken to show areas of damage
  • Slit lamp examination

These Glaucoma tests can help your doctor identify the stage of the progression of your Glaucoma.

This will, in turn, help them prescribe you a suitable treatment.

Recommended reading :
To know about the treatment options available to you, read Managing Glaucoma: Understanding the Glaucoma Treatment Options.

Who is at risk

The following groups of people are at higher risk of developing Glaucoma symptoms

  • People over 60 years of age
  • High intraocular pressure
  • Family history of Glaucoma
  • African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics in older age groups
  • Steroid users
  • People who have suffered an eye injury
  • Nearsightedness
  • Hypertension
  • Central corneal thickness, which is less than .5 mm
Warning
People who are at high risk for Glaucoma are usually advised to get regular eye checkups done.

Takeaway

Since vision loss from Glaucoma cannot be treated, it becomes crucial to diagnose it in the early stages.

Consult your doctor immediately if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above.

Also, regular checkups might help you detect and start preventative treatment if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Citations:
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