Q: What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
A: There are two common types of glaucoma, and they have completely different symptoms.
Open-angle glaucoma usually affects both eyes, and the only real symptom is a gradual loss of peripheral vision. This loss is so gradual that it usually isn’t noticed until significant damage has already occurred.
Closed-angle glaucoma can cause short episodes of symptoms or severe acute onset of symptoms, and usually affects only one eye at a time.
- Symptoms can include:
- Eye pain
- Sudden, severe blurring of vision
- Headaches
- Nausea and vomiting
- Colored halos around lights
- Reddening of the eye
Q: If there are no symptoms, how is glaucoma diagnosed?
A: Testing for glaucoma is part of a regular eye exam. Therefore, keeping up with your annual eye exams is key to early detection and prevention of vision loss.
Q: Can glaucoma be prevented?
A: Unfortunately, glaucoma can’t be prevented, but with early detection and proper treatment, it can be controlled, greatly reducing the chances of damage to the optic nerve and vision loss.
