Are you having problems with your peripheral vision? Do you see halos around lights? Both of these are symptoms of glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. Damage to the optic nerve makes it difficult to see well. The optic nerve gets damaged a lot because of high pressure in your eye.
In adults 60 and over, glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness. While anyone can have glaucoma, adults are more likely to develop it.
There are no warning signs for most types of glaucoma, which is why it’s something to worry about. The effects of glaucoma can be so insignificant that you might not notice any changes to your vision.
In most cases, by the time you notice, the condition is already in an advanced stage.
Damage to your vision from glaucoma is not reversible. This makes it important to get regular eye exams.
Your doctor will measure your eye pressure to be able to watch it in case of any changes. This will help them make a diagnosis early on and provide you with proper treatment.
When glaucoma is diagnosed early on, you can delay vision loss or prevent it altogether. Keep reading to learn more about glaucoma!
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms for glaucoma vary depending on the stage and type.
Open-angle Glaucoma:
In the advanced stages you will experience tunnel vision. Also, you can experience irregular blind spots in your peripheral or central vision. This usually happens in both eyes.
Acute angle-closure Glaucoma:
You may experience headaches, eye pain, nausea, blurry vision, redness, and halos.
If you start experiencing these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor. If you don’t treat glaucoma, it will cause blindness.
Around 15% of people with glaucoma experience blindness in at least one eye within 20 years. That’s even with treatment!
Glaucoma Risk Factors
Glaucoma in its later stages can cause blindness before there are any symptoms or signs. You need to know these risk factors since the symptoms are hard to see.
They include:
- being over the age of 60
- being diagnosed with a condition like high blood pressure, heart disease, sickle cell anemia and diabetes
- having high interior eye pressure (intraocular pressure)
- having a family history of glaucoma
- having very nearsighted or farsighted vision
- having corneas that are very thin in the center
- experiencing an eye injury or specific types of eye surgery
- being Hispanic, Asian or African American
- using corticosteroid medication like eye drops for a long time
Can I Prevent Glaucoma?
There are different ways to prevent vision loss or delay the process. It is important to get regular eye exams to detect any symptoms of glaucoma early on.
Also, if your family medical history has glaucoma, you are at an increased risk for it. You should get frequent examinations.
Exercising can also reduce eye pressure, which can help prevent glaucoma. You should make sure to use prescription eye drops.
Additionally, getting a serious eye injury can cause glaucoma. You need to wear eye protection when playing contact sports or using power tools to keep your eyes safe.
Are you worried that you might have glaucoma? Schedule an appointment at Omaha Eye & Laser Institute in Lincoln, NE today!
