Glaucoma, the second-highest cause of permanent blindness worldwide, often progresses so gradually that initial vision changes may go unnoticed. However, knowing the early signs of glaucoma can lead to prompt detection and treatment, potentially delaying or even stopping further vision loss.
Keep reading to learn more about the four early warning signs of glaucoma you shouldn’t ignore!
What Causes Glaucoma Symptoms?
Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that damage the optic nerve. Optic nerve damage is irreparable and can lead to permanent vision loss and eventually blindness.
The optic nerve is a critical structure that connects your eye to your brain. It transmits visual signals to the brain, enabling you to see.
Glaucoma usually happens when fluid inside your eye is unable to be easily and systematically recycled out of the eye. The excess fluid increases your eye pressure or intraocular pressure (IOP), damaging your optic nerve.
While optic nerve damage is often linked to raised IOP, glaucoma can still develop even with normal eye pressure. Glaucoma is also called the silent thief of sight because it gradually damages your vision and can cause irreversible and significant damage before you notice any symptoms.
What are the Early Warning Signs of Glaucoma?
Most forms of glaucoma don’t cause obvious symptoms in the early stages. By the time you become aware of any vision changes, the disease is usually advanced and has caused damage.
As glaucoma progresses, you may experience the following signs and symptoms:
1. Blurred Vision
Blurred vision can be a warning sign of glaucoma. This can occur due to optic nerve damage.
As the optic nerve deteriorates, your brain may find it challenging to interpret the visual information received, leading to blurred vision. Your vision can also become blurry as a result of increased IOP.
2. Halos Around Lights
Seeing bright circles or rings of light around headlights, streetlights, and other light sources, particularly at night or in low light settings, could be an indication of glaucoma. Corneal swelling, as a result of high IOP, can distort how light enters your eye, leading to the appearance of halos.
3. Reduced Peripheral Vision
Patchy blind spots in your peripheral vision could be a tell-tale sign of glaucoma. Peripheral vision, also known as side vision, refers to the outer edges of your field of vision that enable you to see objects and movement when you aren’t looking directly at them.
As optic nerve damage gradually gets worse, blind spots can start to appear in your vision.
4. Eye Pain or Brow Ache
Severe eye pain, headaches, or aching around the brow area can be warning signs of angle-closure glaucoma, a less common but serious form of glaucoma. Unlike the more prevalent open-angle glaucoma that develops gradually without symptoms, angle-closure glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle of the eye becomes suddenly blocked, causing a rapid increase in eye pressure.
This type of glaucoma is a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. If left untreated, angle-closure glaucoma can cause permanent vision loss within hours or days.
If you experience sudden, severe eye pain accompanied by any of these symptoms, seek emergency medical attention immediately. Quick intervention with medications or laser treatment can help lower eye pressure and prevent irreversible damage to your optic nerve.
Are Glaucoma Symptoms an Emergency?
Most glaucoma symptoms develop slowly over time and aren’t considered immediate emergencies. However, any changes in your vision, no matter how small, should be checked by an eye doctor right away.
If you notice you’re having trouble seeing things you could see clearly before, need brighter lights to read, or feel like you’re missing things out of the corner of your eye, it’s time to make an appointment. These small changes might seem unimportant, but they could be early signs that need attention to protect your sight.
The one exception is sudden, severe eye pain with rapid vision changes. This is acute angle-closure glaucoma, and it’s a true emergency.
If you experience intense eye pain, sudden vision loss, nausea, or see bright halos around lights, get to an emergency room immediately.
Has it been a long time since your last eye exam? Schedule your appointment at Simone Eye Center in Warren or Macomb Twp., MI, today to save your vision from the sight-stealing disease.
