Customer question:
What are the symptoms of glaucoma? Anonymous customer's question
Pharmacist's answer:
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve is damaged due to increased eye pressure. Glaucoma is usually asymptomatic in its early stages, meaning people don't notice many signs of the disease until more severe symptoms develop or the disease is discovered during a regular eye exam.
Symptoms of glaucoma can develop gradually and include:
- Reduced peripheral vision: Glaucoma often affects peripheral vision, meaning that patients notice a narrowing of the field of vision. At first, this change may not be noticeable as the brain adapts, but the condition may worsen over time.
- Eye pain: An acute attack of angle-closure glaucoma can cause severe eye pain associated with headache, nausea, and vomiting. This condition requires urgent medical attention.
- Headache: Sometimes, headaches may occur, especially during an acute angle closure attack.
- Blurred vision: Glaucoma can cause blurred vision or visual disturbances.
- Poor night vision: people with glaucoma tend to have trouble seeing at night.
It is important to emphasize that glaucoma can progress without any apparent symptoms, so regular eye exams are crucial, especially for people who are at increased risk of developing the disease, such as older individuals, those with a family history of glaucoma, or people with elevated eye pressure. If you notice any of the above symptoms or have elevated eye pressure, consult an ophthalmologist.
Interesting reading: First-signs-of-glaucoma