What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a common but complex eye disease. It has several forms, which all can lead to vision loss and blindness if left untreated. They share in common the fact that there is a gradual deterioration that is sometimes but not always linked to an elevated and unhealthy level of fluid pressure inside of the eye. This unhealthy level of fluid pressure can lead to loss of vision and even blindness if not treated appropriately.
Only an eye doctor can determine if you have glaucoma based on the results of several tests. The best way to pro-actively detect and treat glaucoma is to schedule routine healthy eye exams with your family eye doctor each year.
Treatment can include eye drops, pills, laser treatments, and surgery. Treatment should be considered a lifelong process. Frequent follow-up visits, often several per year, are needed to make sure the disease remains controlled.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
People with chronic open angle glaucoma may have no symptoms until severe damage has been done to the optic nerve. Glaucoma has been called the silent thief of sight due to this fact.
Some symptoms that can be associated with glaucoma include blurry vision, poor night vision, poor peripheral vision, missing spots in vision, or bumping into things on the side. Acute or narrow angle glaucoma may cause headaches with exercise, headaches in the morning or just after sunset, pain in the eye associated with smoky vision, and halos around lights.