Glaucoma Symptoms You Should Never Ignore

Glaucoma is sometimes called the silent thief of sight because the most common form, primary open-angle glaucoma, typically causes no symptoms until significant vision has already been lost. By the time you notice a problem, the optic nerve damage is permanent. Understanding the symptoms (and the importance of screening) is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term vision.

Most Glaucoma Has No Early Symptoms

This is the hardest thing for patients to accept. Open-angle glaucoma, which accounts for about 90% of glaucoma cases, develops slowly and silently. The damage happens to peripheral (side) vision first. Your brain compensates so well that you don't notice the loss until late in the disease.

This is why we screen every patient over 40 for glaucoma at every comprehensive exam, and why family history of glaucoma is one of the most important things to mention to your eye doctor.

Symptoms That Suggest Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Acute angle-closure glaucoma is rare but a true medical emergency. If you experience the following, seek emergency care immediately:

• Sudden severe eye pain
• Sudden blurred vision or vision loss
• Halos around lights
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• A red eye

These symptoms typically come on rapidly. The eye pressure can spike dangerously high in hours, causing permanent damage if not treated quickly. Call our office or head to the emergency room.

Late-Stage Open-Angle Glaucoma Symptoms

By the time open-angle glaucoma causes symptoms, significant nerve damage has occurred. Late symptoms include:

• Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
• Patchy blind spots, especially in your side vision
• Difficulty seeing in low light
• Bumping into things on your sides
• Increased difficulty reading despite getting glasses prescriptions updated

Vision lost to glaucoma cannot be recovered. The goal of treatment is to preserve the vision you still have.

Risk Factors

You should be screened for glaucoma regularly if you have any of the following:

• Age over 40
• Family history of glaucoma
• African American, Hispanic, or Asian heritage (each carry different elevated risks for different types)
• Diabetes
• Severe nearsightedness or farsightedness
• Previous eye injury
• Long-term steroid use (oral, inhaled, or eye drops)
• Thin corneas

How We Screen and Diagnose

Comprehensive glaucoma screening at our office includes:

• Eye pressure measurement (tonometry)
• Optic nerve examination
• OCT imaging of the optic nerve and retinal nerve fiber layer
• Visual field testing if anything raises concern
• Corneal thickness measurement (pachymetry)
• Gonioscopy to assess the drainage angle

Treatment Options

If you're diagnosed, the goal is to lower eye pressure and prevent further damage. Options include:

• Daily eye drops (the most common starting treatment)
• SLT (selective laser trabeculoplasty), an in-office laser that improves drainage
• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) procedures like iStent, often performed at the time of cataract surgery
• Traditional glaucoma surgery in advanced cases

Don't Wait for Symptoms

If you're over 40 and haven't had a comprehensive eye exam in the past two years, schedule one now. If you have risk factors, you should be seen annually. We'd rather catch glaucoma early when there's no symptom and treatment is most effective.

Call 610-429-3004 or request an appointment. Learn more about our glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.