Last Updated on March 29, 2021
This is a serious medical emergency. If an ophthalmologist does not quickly assist you, there is a real chance that you might lose your vision. Don’t ignore the signs of this type of glaucoma – that we will describe below.
2. Glaucoma symptoms
As you can see, although both types of glaucoma cause damage to the optic nerve, they do it in very different ways. That means that the symptoms and warning signs of glaucoma will also vary.
Primary open-angle glaucoma symptoms:
• Progressive visual field loss
• Optic nerve changes
• Tunnel vision (once it reaches an advanced stage)
Symptoms aren’t clear at all, that’s why it is essential to do regular check-ups and consult an eye doctor as soon as you suspect that something might be wrong with your vision. In a few rare cases, patients with open-angle glaucoma may experience symptoms similar to the ones caused by closed-angle glaucoma.
Closed-angle glaucoma symptoms:
• Painful headache
• Eye pain
• Blurred vision
• Red eyes
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weird halos around lights
3. Risk Factors
As with many other health problems, glaucoma can also happen to anyone – but is more common among certain groups of people. Let’s see exactly who the risk groups are:
1- Being over 60: as you age, your optic nerve becomes more vulnerable to pressure damage. Additionally, the drainage angle will also lose its ability to drain the liquid. This combination makes people over 60 more prone to develop glaucoma.
2- Having a history of eye damage: glaucoma can also be caused by a traumatic injury such as a ball hitting your eye area, a bike accident, or a fall – in this case, we call it traumatic glaucoma. It can happen right after the incident or months later. If you had an eye injury, your doctor should monitor your eye’s health to ensure that you don’t get permanent damage.
3- Having high blood pressure, low blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease: all these conditions have a negative effect on the amount of oxygen that reaches the eye and may eventually damage blood vessels. This will lead to an increase in eye pressure and the development of glaucoma.
