What are the 8 early signs of glaucoma, and why you should be careful

Glaucoma is referred to as the "silent thief of sight" due to the insidious nature of the disease, gradually damaging eyesight without obvious symptoms until large swathes of vision had been lost. This visual impairment affects the optic nerve, which is responsible for carrying visual information from your eyes to your brain. If not detected by an eye specialist, glaucoma can result in permanent loss of sight.

Glaucoma is often painless and that’s why many patients aren't aware of clinical vision loss until they already have irreversible damage. This is why it is important to undergo eye exams regularly, if you are diagnosed in an early stage of the disease as it may help you save your vision. Being able to identify the early signs of glaucoma will be instrumental in ensuring that you get the medical attention that you need before it is too late.

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Dr Ashish Mehra, Senior Ophthalmologist at VisionCare Eye Institute, Indore, talks about warning signs that you need to never ignore.

• Gradual Loss of Peripheral Vision

Blurring of the side vision is among the earliest and commonest symptoms of glaucoma. It happens gradually, so you may not realize it at first, but if you find that you're banging into things or that your field of vision appears to be shrinking, that's a warning sign.

• Frequent Headaches

Although headaches can stem from several problems, headaches felt repeatedly (particularly next to the eyes) can be directly related to increased pressure in the eye, a common cause of glaucoma.

• Eye Pain or Pressure

While a number of glaucoma types don't cause pain, for example open-angle glaucoma, others do, generally because the pressure in the eye rises quickly, as is the case with acute angle-closure glaucoma. This might cause sudden, intense throbbing pain in the unwell eye. This is a type of medical emergency.

• Blurred or Hazy Vision

Although infrequent fogging or blurring of vision for no apparent reason may occur, increased pressure causes accumulation of fluid inside the eye, sending signals through the optic nerve.

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• Seeing Halos Around Lights

Seeing colored halos around lights, particularly at night, is another red flag indicative of raised eye pressure.

• Sudden Vision Loss

In advanced or acute glaucoma, sudden loss of vision may occur. If left untreated, this can lead to irreversible blindness.

• Nausea and Vomiting

This can occur in rapid spikes in eye pressure and is what you will experience with an acute glaucoma attack. Please seek emergency care, under your eye pain with nausea in simplicity.

• Redness in the Eye

Eye redness that does not go away quickly and is accompanied by other symptoms like pain or blurred vision may be a sign of glaucoma or some other more severe eye condition; this sort of inflammation should not go unaddressed.

• Why You Should Be Careful

While differences from glaucoma damage can't be brought back, if found early, it can be treated (visual contact, drugs and so forth) to slow advancement. The best you can do is book regular eye check-ups, especially over the age of 40 or with a family history of glaucoma.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.