Learn about Glaucoma symptoms from Consumer Reports Health.

Glaucoma

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

At first, glaucoma doesn't cause any symptoms. Then it starts to affect your eyesight, but only slowly. You may not notice your eyesight getting worse for many years.

Glaucoma can eventually cause blindness, although most people with glaucoma don't go blind. Glaucoma doesn't hurt.

The poor eyesight starts with small blind spots at the edge of your vision. These are easy to miss, and many people don't notice them. Without treatment, the blind spots get slowly bigger until you can see only things that are directly in front of you. It can feel like you're looking down a tunnel.

Source:
Khaw PT, Shah A, Elkington AR.
ABC of eyes: glaucoma. 1: diagnosis.
BMJ. 2004; 328: 97-99.

Also, some people with severe glaucoma:

Source:
Shah R, Wormald R.
Glaucoma.
Clinical Evidence. 2006; 15:1-2.

Can't see properly when moving from a lighter to a darker room
Can't judge the height of steps and curbs, so they may trip over frequently.

About 1 in 5 people with glaucoma already have badly damaged eyesight before they are diagnosed.

Source:
Sheldrick JH, Ng C, Austin DJ, et al.
An analysis of referral routes and diagnostic accuracy in cases of suspected glaucoma.
Ophthalmic Epidemiology. 1994; 1: 31-38.

About 9 in 10 people with glaucoma are diagnosed by their eye doctors after routine eye tests.

Source:
Crick RP, Tuck MW.
How can we improve the detection of glaucoma? Thorough testing and better targeting.
BMJ. 1995; 310: 546-547.

⁴

Source:
Henson DB, Thampy R.
Preventing blindness from glaucoma.
BMJ. 2005; 331: 120-121.

⁵ Experts say you should have regular checkups as you get older, especially if you are black, or if someone in your family has glaucoma.

Source:
Alward WLM.
Medical management of glaucoma.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 339: 1298-1307.

⁶ You only need to take three simple tests to find out if you have glaucoma, high pressure inside your eye, or both.

Source:
Henson DB, Thampy R.
Preventing blindness from glaucoma.
BMJ. 2005; 331: 120-121.

⁵

The information here is about long-term (chronic) glaucoma. A second kind of glaucoma, called acute glaucoma, comes on suddenly and is very different. Your eyes quickly become painful and red, and you may get a severe headache and sickness. Your vision becomes blurred and you may notice haloes (rings) around lights. Acute glaucoma is an emergency. If you get these symptoms, see a doctor right away. You need urgent treatment.

Sources for the information on this page:

Khaw PT, Shah A, Elkington AR.ABC of eyes: glaucoma. 1: diagnosis.BMJ. 2004; 328: 97-99.

Shah R, Wormald R.Glaucoma.Clinical Evidence. 2006; 15:1-2.

Sheldrick JH, Ng C, Austin DJ, et al.An analysis of referral routes and diagnostic accuracy in cases of suspected glaucoma.Ophthalmic Epidemiology. 1994; 1: 31-38.

Crick RP, Tuck MW.How can we improve the detection of glaucoma? Thorough testing and better targeting.BMJ. 1995; 310: 546-547.

Henson DB, Thampy R.Preventing blindness from glaucoma.BMJ. 2005; 331: 120-121.

Alward WLM.Medical management of glaucoma.New England Journal of Medicine. 1998; 339: 1298-1307.

This information was last updated on Jul 29, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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