Are There Symptoms If You Have Glaucoma?

Are you experiencing issues seeing with your peripheral vision in both eyes? Do you see halos around lights?

These can be symptoms of glaucoma. Keep reading to learn more about glaucoma and symptoms to watch out for!

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is part of a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. You need a working optic nerve to have good vision.

The damage to the optic nerve occurs because of the fluid and abnormally high pressure in your eye.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for individuals 60 and up. It is possible for anyone to get glaucoma, but older adults are more likely to get it.

The majority of the types of glaucoma do not have warning signs, which is why it sneaks up on you and steals your vision. You may not notice any changes in your vision until it advances.

Once glaucoma starts to impact your vision, the damage is irreversible. It is important that you get regular eye exams because they let your doctor measure eye pressure.

If it changes, this allows them to keep an eye on your eye pressure. Having this information helps them diagnosis glaucoma early on.

This, in turn, leads to better, early treatment. and give you the right treatment. If glaucoma is diagnosed in the beginning stages, vision loss can be delayed or prevented.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

There are two main types of glaucoma. They are:

Open-angle Glaucoma:

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common kind of glaucoma. With open-angle, it’s typical to experience tunnel vision.

Also, some individuals get irregular blind spots in their peripheral or central vision. This usually occurs in both eyes.

Acute angle-closure Glaucoma:

Unlike open-angle glaucoma, this form of glaucoma has symptoms. They include headaches, eye pain, nausea, vomiting, blurry vision, halos, and eye redness.

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, you need to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor. When left untreated, glaucoma will cause blindness.

What are the risk factors for glaucoma?

Glaucoma in its later stages causes blindness before you may recognize that you have it. Some of the risk factors are:

• being 60 or older;
• having abnormally high eye pressure
• being Hispanic, Asian or African American
• having a family history of glaucoma
• being nearsighted or farsighted
• having medical conditions like high blood pressure or heart disease
• having small corneas in the center of your lens
• getting an eye injury or side effect from eye surgery
• using steroid eye drops for an extended period of time

Can you prevent vision loss with glaucoma?

It is possible to prevent vision loss or delay it. Getting regular eye exams is important for identifying symptoms in the early stages.

You are at an increased risk for glaucoma if it is in your family history. Getting regular eye exams is necessary to watch your eyes and pressure levels.

Exercising can help prevent glaucoma by reducing eye pressure. Finally, be careful, since getting a serious eye injury can cause glaucoma. You need to wear protection while playing contact sports or using tools.

Do you think you have glaucoma? If any of these symptoms sound familiar, you need to see an eye doctor.

Schedule an appointment at Mid Ohio Eye in Columbus, OH today!