Symptoms of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition that can deteriorate your vision. If it is not caught early, you may suffer from vision loss that cannot be regained. It is important to schedule a yearly eye exam with our ophthalmologist at Eye Care Specialists of Florida in Kissimmee, that way if you do have glaucoma, we can administer treatment to you.
Risk Factors of Glaucoma
There are some serious eye conditions that can cause permanent vision loss. Glaucoma is one of these diseases. While anyone can develop this condition, certain factors put you at greater risk. These include:
What Are the Early Symptoms Of Glaucoma?
The glaucoma symptoms that you would experience would depend on the type of glaucoma that you are suffering from. There are two common types, open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma: This type of glaucoma occurs when the fluid in your eye drains slower than it should. This will increase the pressure in your eye. Open-angle glaucoma shows no early symptoms. Most people don't know that they have open-angle glaucoma until their optic nerve has been damaged and vision loss has occurred. In the later stages, loss of peripheral vision will occur.
Angle-closure glaucoma: This type of glaucoma occurs when the drainage system in your eye becomes completely blocked. This causes the pressure in your eye to increase suddenly, causing a number of symptoms. Many people with angle-closure glaucoma say it caused the worst eye pain that they have ever felt. Nausea, vomiting, and frequent headaches are common. Angle-closure glaucoma also causes vision issues. When the cornea swells due to the high pressure in the eye, it can make your vision blurry. You might also see halos around lights.
When Should You See An Eye Doctor?
Because open-angle glaucoma shows no early symptoms, you should see an eye doctor every year for a comprehensive exam. While there is no cure for glaucoma, there are treatment methods available to slow the progression of the disease, including eye drops and surgery. Eye drops can help take off some pressure in the eye. While surgery can help your eye drain the block fluid and make the eye pressure to lower. Our eye surgeon can tell you which method of treatment will suit you.
Angle-closure glaucoma comes on suddenly and is considered a medical emergency. Because the pressure in your eye spikes so quickly and causes such severe symptoms, you should see an ophthalmologist immediately.
It is crucial to the health of your eyes that you make annual appointments with Eye Care Specialists Of Florida in Kissimmee. If you have glaucoma, our eye surgeon will create a treatment plan to decrease the pressure in your eyes, which will preserve your vision longer.