Glaucoma Symptoms: There is lack of information among people about glaucoma. Many people believe that this disease occurs only in those who have weak eyesight or who wear glasses. At the same time, many people feel that if they do not have to wear glasses then their vision is clear. But the truth is that glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. It is often considered a ‘silent disease’ because its symptoms are not visible in the initial stages. Let us know about this disease.

How does Glaucoma occur?

One of the most common misconceptions among people is that if your vision is clear then glaucoma will not occur. Whereas in reality, in the initial and sometimes middle stages of glaucoma, the side vision of the eyes gets affected first and the front vision remains fine for a long time. This means that a person can read, drive and even look at the mobile/screen comfortably, but internally his optic nerve is getting damaged. Unless the difference is clearly visible, the loss increases.

Why does glaucoma occur?

Dr. Prashant Chaudhary, Senior Consultant and Head Ophthalmologist of Aakash Healthcare, explains that when the optic nerve gradually starts deteriorating, one of the major reasons for this is the increase in pressure inside the eye. However, in some people, glaucoma occurs even when the eye pressure is normal, which is called normal-tension glaucoma. Therefore, there is a need to understand its symptoms.

What are the initial symptoms of glaucoma?

In most cases of open-angle glaucoma, the disease progresses slowly and without pain. Its initial symptoms are like this-

• Not being able to see things coming from the side properly.
• Bumping into things again and again.
• Difficulty in walking in the dark.
• Tiredness or headache in eyes.

How serious are the symptoms?

According to the doctor, in some rare cases, such as angle-closure glaucoma, the symptoms increase suddenly and rapidly. Such as-

• Severe pain in the eye.
• Eye redness.
• Headache.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Seeing a colored circle around the light.
• Sudden loss of vision.

This is an emergency condition that requires immediate treatment to prevent blindness.

Which people are at greater risk?

Glaucoma can happen to anyone, but some people are at higher risk.

• People above 40 years of age.
• Whose family has had glaucoma.
• Patients with diabetes or high blood pressure.
• People taking steroid medicines for a long time.
• People with high myopia.

Can wearing glasses prevent or cure glaucoma?

No, glasses can correct only numerical problems, such as poor vision near or far. But glaucoma is a disease to the nerves of the eye. In such a situation, glasses can neither prevent nor cure it.