When most people hear about glaucoma, they typically associate it with being a condition that affects the eyes. Yet, being that this perception merely holds basic truth, many people remain ill-informed of the exact causes, types, and symptoms of the disease. Therefore, to gain a better understanding of the disease, one must first understand the specifics of its diagnosis. Glaucoma is a form of degenerative eye disease that consists of a combination of different types of related eye disorders that occur from the build-up of pressure inside the eye—causing damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve is the optical component within the eye that is responsible for transmitting visual information from the eye to the brain. Nonetheless, when the optic nerve becomes damaged, it creates visual impairment and in some cases even blindness if the damage is too severe or goes without treatment.
Unfortunately, it is a known fact that glaucoma affects the lives of millions of people every year—the greatest impacted being those individuals of age 40 and older. Furthermore, according to scientific studies, it is also understood to be an inherited disease with signs and symptoms that are usually never exhibited until much later in life. There are several existing types of diagnosis for the form of eye disease and they are congenital, secondary, pigmentary, normal-tension, narrow-angle, and open-angle glaucoma—the most common type. However, even though there are various types of the disease, they all exude related symptoms which include blurred vision, distorted vision, vision loss, eye pain, nausea, sudden visual disturbance, headache, and rainbow halos.
1. Blurred Vision
Experiencing blurred vision is one of the many side effects of being diagnosed with glaucoma. This symptom is generally the result of having one of the two most common types of the disease—narrow-angle or open-angle. In the case of open-angle (angle remains open at the meeting of the iris and cornea), experiencing blurry vision occurs when the canals of the eye become clogged and due to its inability to drain properly, pressure builds within the eye and causes damage to the optic nerve. Whereas in the case of narrow-angle (angle narrowed or closed at meeting of iris and cornea), the eye canal is actually considered to be too narrow to allow for proper eye drainage.
This condition causes internal eye pressure to build which affects the optic nerve and ultimately impairs vision. In contrast to that of open-angle in which the eye appears to be normal, experiencing this type of vision is most likely to occur more rapidly with narrow-angle due to the actually closing of the eye canal that greatly contributes to the quick build-up of pressure. People who suffer from blurred vision typically have to consistently squint or strain their eyes to view objects that are either up close or at a distance.
2. Distorted Vision
In addition to having to deal with the affects of blurry vision, encountering distorted vision is yet another degenerative sign of having the disease. Unlike blurred vision which entails not being able to see a clear image of an object (objects appear out of focus), distorted vision is characterized as seeing objects that abnormally appear to be warped or bent out of alignment from the shape of familiarity you usually associate them with having. The damage received by the optic nerve due to the build-up of pressure in the eye can indeed cause one to undergo this effect as one of many. If you are experiencing any signs of abnormal vision, please consult with your local ophthalmologist for possible glaucoma diagnosis and treatment to further avoid any irreparable damage to the eye.
3. Vision Loss
Of all the side effects one could potentially experience under the diagnosis of glaucoma, the most severe symptom would be to endure permanent vision loss. Vision loss includes having an extremely poor quality of vision or the inability to totally see out the eyes—conditions in which neither of each can be repaired. Although symptoms from having the disease don’t show up until much later in life, it is extremely important to have your eyes checked regularly to prevent yourself from having to suffer from the loss of sight. In most cases, vision loss primarily occurs as the result of the optic nerve being damaged for a prolonged period of time without being treated. Not only does having poor vision impair one’s ability to see, but it also impairs an individual’s independence because not being able to see hinders one from being able to perform daily tasks.
4. Eye Pain
With glaucoma (narrow-angle in particular), blockage for the draining of the eye is created due to the narrow/closed angle of the eye canal and this creates rapid pressure build-up within the eye. In so saying, the internal eye pressure usually brings about extreme discomfort and eye pain. Being that the cornea of the eye is highly sensitive to pain, people tend to experience sensations within their eyes that may feel sharp, aching, throbbing, or even as if something foreign is in their eye. In addition to this, exposure to bright light is also known to worsen eye pain. Furthermore, pain and irritation of the eyes will cause them to appear red.
5. Nausea
Swelling of the eyes from internal pressure can create severe damage to the optic nerve which inevitably tends to bring about extremely painful sensations. These sensations that individuals diagnosed with glaucoma suffer from will often cause then to feel nauseated as well. Feeling nauseous includes experiencing abdominal pain and feeling inclined to vomit. In most cases, it is the sudden attack of intense pain within the eyes from acute glaucoma (narrow-angle) that contributes to this nauseous feeling. Moreover, people with the eye disease can also become nauseated by the onset of dizziness from experiencing the effects of both blurred and distorted vision.
6. Sudden Visual Disturbance
Due to the fact that glaucoma is characterized as being an eye disease that occurs with no forewarning symptoms, many individuals who unknowingly have the disease will usually experience a sudden visual disturbance. This type of disturbance is describes as being the instance in which one goes from having normal vision and being able to see objects in focus, to immediately having abnormal vision in which objects become hard to see or are out of focus. People diagnosed as having the open-angle type of disease most likely experience this symptom because in contrast to that of the narrow-angle type that openly exhibits a defective eye, the eyes of those with open-angle appear to be normal.
7. Headache
It can be obviously concluded that those who have to suffer through the painful effects of optic nerve damage experience abnormal visual perspectives that tend to be accompanied by headaches. The inability to properly see out of the eyes and the consistent straining to do so can be very stressful and can make one feel lightheaded—bringing about headaches. Headaches that arise can usually be felt in the forehead above the eyes or in and around the eye region itself. Nevertheless, these occurring aches brought on by the disease will also range in pain intensity from mild, to moderate, and severe.
8. Rainbow Halos
If you are experiencing seeing rainbow halos—appearance of rainbow circles around bright lights—it is an indication that you could possibly be diagnosed with having glaucoma. Rainbow halos appear as a result of the eye’s inability to focus light on a single point, thus, creating a scattering of light on the cornea. A spike in pressure within the eye is what contributes to the eye’s inability to focus light. As before mentioned, this spike in pressure (ocular hypertension) is a common characteristic of the disease and if left untreated, the condition can cause permanent blindness. Please be sure to check have your eyes examined as soon as possible if you are experiencing any of these symptoms in order to treat and preserve your vision.
