Glaucoma

Glaucoma Symptoms and Treatment in Rhode Island

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that can damage the optic nerve, which sends visual information from your eye to your brain. It's vital for good vision, and if left unchecked it can lead to blindness. Glaucoma can occur at any age but is more common in older adults.

SIGHTS Eye Care provides medical management of Glaucoma and macular degeneration using digital technology.

You may not know you have it, but glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness. It's one of the leading causes of blindness for people over 60, and it often has no warning signs.

If you have glaucoma, your optic nerve is being damaged, which can cause the loss of vision. Luckily, early detection and treatment can help prevent this from happening!

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Many forms of glaucoma have no warning signs. The effect is so gradual that you may not notice a change in vision until the condition is in its later stages. It's important to have regular eye exams that include measurements of your eye pressure. If glaucoma is recognized early, vision loss can be slowed or prevented. If you have glaucoma, you'll need treatment or monitoring for the rest of your life.

Glaucoma Symptoms

Open-angle glaucoma

• No symptoms in early stages
• Gradually, patchy blind spots in your side vision (side vision also known as peripheral vision). Side vision is what you see when you look out of the corner of your eye—for example, when turning your head to look at something on the right side of your face. This type of vision loss can be subtle at first and may not even be noticed by patients or family members.
• In later stages, difficulty seeing things in your central vision (also called straight ahead). Central vision is what you use to read or drive a car—though many people with glaucoma still have some central vision until very late in the disease process.

Acute angle-closure glaucoma

Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a serious condition that can lead to vision loss, and it's important to know the symptoms. If you experience any of the following, call Dr. Contillo:

• Severe headache
• Eye redness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Severe eye pain
• Halos or colored rings around lights
• Blurred vision

Normal-tension glaucoma

• No symptoms in early stages
• Gradually, blurred vision
• In later stages, loss of side vision

Glaucoma in children

• A dull or cloudy eye (infants)
• Increased blinking (infants)
• Tears without crying (infants)
• Blurred vision
• Nearsightedness that gets worse
• Headache

Pigmentary glaucoma

• Halos around lights
• Blurred vision with exercise
• Gradual loss of side vision

This information is summarized from MayoClinic.org.

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