WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA ?
Glaucoma most often occurs in adults over age 40, but it can also occur in young adults, children, and even infants.
For most people, there are usually few or no symptoms of glaucoma. The first sign of glaucoma is often the loss of peripheral or side vision, which can go unnoticed until late in the disease. This is why glaucoma is often called the "sneak thief of vision.
Detecting glaucoma early is one reason you should have a complete exam with an eye specialist every one to two years. Occasionally, intraocular pressure can rise to severe levels. In these cases, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights may occur.
If you have any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical care :
- Seeing halos around lights
- Vision loss
- Redness in the eye
- Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
- Nausea or vomiting
- Pain in the eye
- Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)
Detecting glaucoma early is one reason you should have a complete exam with an eye specialist every one to two years. Occasionally, intraocular pressure can rise to severe levels. In these cases, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights may occur.
DIAGNOSIS OF GLAUCOMA :
In the more common forms of glaucoma there is increased pressure in the eye which presses on the optic nerve and causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision.
- Visual Acuity Test : This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.
- Visual Field Test : This test measures your side (peripheral) vision. It helps your eye care professional tell if you have lost side vision, a sign of glaucoma.
- Dilated Eye Exam : Dilation of pupils provides a better view of the optic nerve to check for signs of damage. Drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
- Tonometry : The procedure to determine the IOP (intraocular pressure) of the eye.
- Pachymetry : A numbing drop is applied to your eye. Your eye care professional uses an ultrasonic wave instrument to measure the thickness of your cornea.
- Gonioscopy : To inspect the drainage angle of your eye.
- Glaucoma OCT : The Glaucoma module of the OCT helps in the better understanding and management of the glaucoma. OCT is one of the advanced tools to early detect glaucoma as early as 20% damage.
We will weigh all of these factors before deciding if you need treatment for glaucoma; or whether you should be monitored regularly as a glaucoma suspect to detect the early signs of damage to the optic nerve.