Glaucoma: Symptoms

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Symptoms

Symptoms of glaucoma vary according to the type of glaucoma you have.

If you have open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the only symptom you are likely to notice is vision loss. Side (peripheral) vision is usually lost before central vision.

You may not notice side vision loss until it becomes severe because the less affected eye makes up for the loss. The loss of sharpness of vision (visual acuity) may not become apparent until late in the disease. By that time, significant vision loss has occurred.

Closed-angle glaucoma (CAG) may cause no apparent symptoms or only mild symptoms. You may experience short episodes of symptoms (subacute closed-angle glaucoma) that usually occur in the evening and are over by morning, or you may have severe (acute) symptoms that require immediate medical attention. Symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma usually affect only one eye at a time and often include:

• Sudden, severe blurring of vision.
• Severe pain. The pain may occur in the eye itself or in certain areas immediately around the eye. See an illustration of possible areas of pain associated with CAG.
• Colored halos around lights.
• Redness of the eye.
• Nausea and vomiting.

Symptoms of glaucoma present at birth ( congenital glaucoma) and glaucoma that develops in the first few years of life (infantile glaucoma) may include:

• Watery eyes. The baby may also appear to be sensitive to light.
• An eye or eyes that look cloudy, indicating that the clear front surface of the eye (cornea) has been damaged.
• Eyes that look larger than normal because the eyeballs have become enlarged as a result of high pressure. This symptom does not occur in adults.
• Rubbing the eyes, squinting, or keeping the eyes closed much of the time.

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Last updated:	July 7, 2006
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Carol L. Karp, MD - Ophthalmology
Editors:	Kathe Gallagher, MSW, Pat Truman