DOES GLAUCOMA CAUSE SYMPTOMS?
Most patients with glaucoma rarely have any noticeable symptoms. For this reason, it is important to have your eye pressure checked regularly after the age of 40. Two percent of all patients over the age of 40 will eventually develop glaucoma. Contrary to what we generally think, symptoms of eye pain, eye pressure and headaches almost never signify glaucoma. Exception: In a rare type of glaucoma called angle closure glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma, there may be some noticeable symptoms such as halos around lights, blurred vision and eye pain. The symptoms result from the surface of the eye (the cornea) swelling as the pressure inside the eye increases. As the cornea swells with additional fluid, objects may appear to have halos around them. If you have been diagnosed as a glaucoma suspect or more importantly, a narrow-angle glaucoma suspect, I urge you to be alert to these symptoms and inform me of their occurrence.
