what are possible symptoms of glaucoma?

Answer 1

What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. However, with early treatment, you can often protect your eyes against serious vision loss.

What is the optic nerve?
The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers. It connects the retina to the brain. (See diagram below.) The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy optic nerve is necessary for good vision.


What are some other forms of glaucoma?
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form. Some people have other types of the disease.

Low-tension or normal-tension glaucoma. Optic nerve damage and narrowed side vision occur in people with normal eye pressure. Lowering eye pressure at least 30 percent through medicines slows the disease in some people. Glaucoma may worsen in others despite low pressures.

A comprehensive medical history is important in identifying other potential risk factors, such as low blood pressure, that contribute to low-tension glaucoma. If no risk factors are identified, the treatment options for low-tension glaucoma are the same as for open-angle glaucoma.

Angle-closure glaucoma. The fluid at the front of the eye cannot reach the angle and leave the eye. The angle gets blocked by part of the iris. People with this type of glaucoma have a sudden increase in eye pressure. Symptoms include severe pain and nausea, as well as redness of the eye and blurred vision. If you have these symptoms, you need to seek treatment immediately.

This is a medical emergency. If your doctor is unavailable, go to the nearest hospital or clinic. Without treatment to improve the flow of fluid, the eye can become blind in as few as one or two days. Usually, prompt laser surgery and medicines can clear the blockage and protect sight.

Congenital glaucoma. Children are born with a defect in the angle of the eye that slows the normal drainage of fluid. These children usually have obvious symptoms, such as cloudy eyes, sensitivity to light, and excessive tearing. Conventional surgery typically is the suggested treatment, because medicines may have unknown effects in infants and be difficult to administer. Surgery is safe and effective. If surgery is done promptly, these children usually have an excellent chance of having good vision.

Secondary glaucomas. These can develop as complications of other medical conditions. These types of glaucomas are sometimes associated with eye surgery or advanced cataracts, eye injuries, certain eye tumors, or uveitis (eye inflammation). Pigmentary glaucoma occurs when pigment from the iris flakes off and blocks the meshwork, slowing fluid drainage. A severe form, called neovascular glaucoma, is linked to diabetes. Corticosteroid drugs used to treat eye inflammations and other diseases can trigger glaucoma in some people. Treatment includes medicines, laser surgery, or conventional surgery.

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Causes and Risk Factors
How does open-angle glaucoma damage the optic nerve?
In the front of the eye is a space called the anterior chamber. A clear fluid flows continuously in and out of the chamber and nourishes nearby tissues. The fluid leaves the chamber at the open angle where the cornea and iris meet. (See diagram below.) When the fluid reaches the angle, it flows through a spongy meshwork, like a drain, and leaves the eye.


Sometimes, when the fluid reaches the angle, it passes too slowly through the meshwork drain. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye rises to a level that may damage the optic nerve. When the optic nerve is damaged from increased pressure, open-angle glaucoma--and vision loss--may result. That's why controlling pressure inside the eye is important.

Does increased eye pressure mean that I have glaucoma?
Not necessarily. Increased eye pressure means you are at risk for glaucoma, but does not mean you have the disease. A person has glaucoma only if the optic nerve is damaged. If you have increased eye pressure but no damage to the optic nerve, you do not have glaucoma. However, you are at risk. Follow the advice of your eye care professional.

Can I develop glaucoma if I have increased eye pressure?
Not necessarily. Not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma. Some people can tolerate higher eye pressure better than others. Also, a certain level of eye pressure may be high for one person but normal for another.

Whether you develop glaucoma depends on the level of pressure your optic nerve can tolerate without being damaged. This level is different for each person. That's why a comprehensive dilated eye exam is very important. It can help your eye care professional determine what level of eye pressure is normal for you.

Can I develop glaucoma without an increase in my eye pressure?
Yes. Glaucoma can develop without increased eye pressure. This form of glaucoma is called low-tension or normal-tension glaucoma. It is not as common as open-angle glaucoma.

Who is at risk for glaucoma?
Anyone can develop glaucoma. Some people are at higher risk than others. They include:

African Americans over age 40.
Everyone over age 60, especially Mexican Americans.
People with a family history of glaucoma.
Among African Americans, studies show that glaucoma is:

Five times more likely to occur in African Americans than in Caucasians.
About four times more likely to cause blindness in African Americans than in Caucasians.
Fifteen times more likely to cause blindness in African Americans between the ages of 45-64 than in Caucasians of the same age group.
A comprehensive dilated eye exam can reveal more risk factors, such as high eye pressure, thinness of the cornea, and abnormal optic nerve anatomy. In some people with certain combinations of these high-risk factors, medicines in the form of eyedrops reduce the risk of developing glaucoma by about half.

Medicare covers an annual comprehensive dilated eye exam for some people at high risk for glaucoma.

What can I do to protect my vision?
Studies have shown that the early detection and treatment of glaucoma, before it causes major vision loss, is the best way to control the disease. So, if you fall into one of the high-risk groups for the disease, make sure to have your eyes examined through dilated pupils every one to two years by an eye care professional.

If you are being treated for glaucoma, be sure to take your glaucoma medicine every day. See your eye care professional regularly.

You also can help protect the vision of family members and friends who may be at high risk for glaucoma--African Americans over age 40; everyone over age 60, especially Mexican Americans; and people with a family history of the disease. Encourage them to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once every two years. Remember: Lowering eye pressure in glaucoma's early stages slows progression of the disease and helps save vision.

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Symptoms and Detection
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
At first, there are no symptoms. Vision stays normal, and there is no pain.

However, as the disease progresses, a person with glaucoma may notice his or her side vision gradually failing. That is, objects in front may still be seen clearly, but objects to the side may be missed.

As glaucoma remains untreated, people may miss objects to the side and out of the corner of their eye. Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision. They seem to be looking through a tunnel. Over time, straight-ahead vision may decrease until no vision remains.

Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes.

Answer 2

Symptoms

Symptoms of glaucoma vary according to the type of glaucoma you have.

If you have open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the only symptom you are likely to notice is vision loss. Side (peripheral) vision is usually lost before central vision, which is needed to see details sharply.

You may not notice side vision loss until it becomes severe because the less affected eye makes up for the loss. The loss of sharpness of vision (visual acuity) may not become apparent until late in the disease. By that time, significant vision loss has occurred.

Closed-angle glaucoma (CAG) may cause no apparent symptoms or only mild symptoms. You may experience short episodes of symptoms (subacute closed-angle glaucoma) that usually occur in the evening and are over by morning, or you may have severe (acute) symptoms that require immediate medical attention. Symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma usually affect only one eye at a time and often include:

Sudden, severe blurring of vision.
Severe pain. The pain may occur in the eye itself or in certain areas immediately around the eye. See an illustration of possible areas of pain associated with CAG.
Colored halos around lights.
Redness of the eye.
Nausea and vomiting.
Symptoms of glaucoma present at birth (congenital glaucoma) and glaucoma that develops in the first few years of life (infantile glaucoma) may include:

Watery eyes. The baby may also appear to be sensitive to light.
An eye or eyes that look cloudy, indicating that the clear front surface of the eye (cornea) has been damaged.
Eyes that look larger than normal because the eyeballs have become enlarged as a result of high pressure. This does not occur in adults.
Rubbing the eyes, squinting, or keeping the eyes closed much of the time.

Answer 3

SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA:

Heaviness or headache
Gradual darkening at outer edge of vision
Appearance of coloured rings around lights
Pain and redness in eyes

Answer 4

Surely your vet can give this boy some medication to help reduce the pain here, whatever the outcome of the specialist visit? Can't believe he let you come away without! Suggest you go back or maybe see if you can have the appointment rescheduled to an earlier date? This sounds like an emergency and if it is glaucoma, the pressure needs to be reduced (pain) before he loses his eyesight. Man, I'd be shouting!!

Answer 5

I had no symptoms of glaucoma. My eye doctor detected it. My eye pressure was 30 in each eye. I was given drops to be put in twice a day and the pressure drop down to 14 in each eye

Answer 6

GLAUCOMA
Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) is the result of inadequate drainage of aqueous humor from the anterior chamber of the eye. The increased pressure causes atrophy of the optic nerve and, if untreated, blindness. There are two primary categories of glaucoma: (1) open-angle and (2) closed-angle (or narrow angle). Chronic open-angle glaucoma is the most common type, accounting for 90% of all glaucoma cases. It develops slowly, may be associated with diabetes and myopia, and may develop in both eyes simultaneously. Chronic glaucoma has no early warning signs, and the loss of peripheral vision occurs so gradually that substantial optic nerve damage can occur before glaucoma is detected.
Narrow-angle, or angle-closure, glaucoma is the less common form and may be associated with eye trauma, various inflammatory processes, and pupillary dilation after the instillation of mydriatic drops. Acute angle-closure glaucoma is manifested by sudden excruciating pain in or around the eye, blurred vision, and ocular redness. This condition constitutes a medical emergency because blindness may suddenly ensue.

Patient may complain: (neurosensory)
>Gradual loss of peripheral vision, frequent change of glasses, difficulty adjusting to darkened room, halos around lights, mild headache (chronic glaucoma)
>Cloudy/blurred vision, appearance of halos/rainbows around lights, sudden loss of peripheral vision, photophobia (acute glaucoma)
>Glasses/treatment change does not improve vision

May exhibit:
>Dilated, fixed, cloudy pupils (acute glaucoma)
Fixed pupil and red/hard eye with cloudy cornea (glaucoma emergency)
Increased tearing
Intumescent cataracts, intraocular hemorrhage (glaucoma secondary to trauma)

PAIN/DISCOMFORT
May report:
>Mild discomfort or aching/tired eyes (chronic glaucoma)
>Sudden/persistent severe pain or pressure in and around eye(s), headache (acute glaucoma)

CONSULT YOUR M.D.
:)

Answer 7

my hubby has it if you have anyone i n your famly with it be checked and once a year if you don't you can lose your eye site.

Answer 8

lost of weight, sleepless,

Answer 9

asd