If you have read our previous post on glaucoma, you would have learned that it is an eye condition wherein increased blood pressure in the eye can cause a damaged optic nerve. When an optic nerve is pushed too hard by blocked pressure, blind spots begin to appear and a person’s eyesight is affected.
Do you have glaucoma?
The best thing to do to know whether you have have glaucoma is by visiting an Arizona eye doctor for an optical exam. You may be suffering from this condition if you are experiencing the following symptoms.
- Open-Angle Glaucoma – Most people who have this condition do not experience symptoms. By the time they go to an Arizona eye doctor, the damage is already severe and vision loss is either almost complete or well on its way. Usually there is a gradual loss of the peripheral or tunnel vision.
- Angle-Closure Glaucoma – Symptoms for this specific type may either come and go at the beginning or steadily worsen. You may even notice the following:
Sudden, severe eye
Cloudy vision (also referred to as steamy vision)
Decrease in quality of sight
Nausea and vomiting
Halos around light (rainbow-colored)
Redness of the eye
Swollen feeling in the eye
- Congenital Glaucoma – With this particular condition, symptoms begin to manifest when during the early stages of childhood, usually during the first months.
Cloudiness around the front area of the eye
Enlarged eyes (could be just one or both)
Redness of the eye
Increased sensitivity to light
Tearing
- Secondary Glaucoma – With secondary glaucoma, warning signs are usually connected to the underlying cause of the eye condition. These can either be similar to open-angle or angle-closure, so it would be best to have an Arizona eye doctor check your eyes for a precise diagnosis of the situation.
How is it Diagnosed?
A complete eye exam would be the only way to figure out whether you are suffering from this eye condition. The exam most often involves being given eye drops to dilate the pupil of the affected eye. Once they it is wide enough, an Arizona eye doctor would then take a careful look inside your eye and assess the optic nerve. You may also be asked to take a test (tonometry) that would gauge the pressure level in your eye. There also other ways to check the pressure inside the eye, so be sure to ask your ophthalmologist for the option that best suits your situation.
