If you’ve been diagnosed with glaucoma, chances are it was picked up during a routine examination. Very rarely does glaucoma have symptoms, in fact, glaucoma is a chronic disease that is traditionally considered asymptomatic, until the very advanced stages, when the patient experiences an irreversible loss of vision.
Glaucoma is a disease of the nerve of the eye, called the optic nerve, which if not treated in time, can lead to irreversible blindness. Typically, the pressure of the eye is higher than normal, and this leads to characteristic changes in the optic nerve and visual field. If the drainage angles are not compromised, the patient is said to have a Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG), and the disease is primarily without any symptoms at all.
If the glaucoma is caused by a narrowing of the drainage angle of the eye, the disease is called Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma, and this kind of glaucoma may or may not have symptoms.
The symptoms of angle closure glaucoma can variably include:
- Pain in the eye
- Headaches
- Transient or intermittent blurring of vision
- Colored haloes around incandescent light bulbs
- Acutely painful, red eye with loss of vision (Very rare cases of Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma, which constitutes an eye emergency).
In case the glaucoma is secondary to another disease like uveitis or a congenital anomaly of the eye, the symptoms will usually be that of the underlying cause. Sudden, acute increase in eye pressure may cause pain, and loss of vision. However, many patients with extremely high eye pressures may also be completely symptom-free. It is for this reason that ophthalmologists all over the world emphasize on the importance of regular, annual, comprehensive eye checkups with your eye doctor.
Why is it essential to go for regular eye check-ups for glaucoma?
It is essential to remember that the damage to vision and visual field due to glaucoma cannot be reversed with treatment, even surgery. So, if you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, or if your doctor has identified that you have a higher risk than normal, you must be regular with your follow up visits.
• Remember, glaucoma has no symptoms. So whether you’ve been diagnosed as a glaucoma suspect or patient, the only way to pick up a progression of disease is to have a comprehensive eye examination.
• Since the disease has no symptoms, most patients ignore it, and forget their medication, as well as follow up visits. Also, the loss of vision due to glaucoma is often extremely slow, and you will not not notice any change in your central vision. Only special investigations like Visual Fields or Perimetry, and OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) can diagnose glaucoma or its progression.
Therefore, it is critical to be regular with your prescribed medication, and eye appointments.
• In fact, whether you have any risk factors or not, you must ask your doctor about your eye pressure and your risk for glaucoma during your annual eye check. This alone can ensure that glaucoma can be detected in its early stages and a proper treatment started as early as possible, limiting any possible damage to your vision.
What can I do if I have glaucoma?
Choose your glaucoma doctor with care: Since glaucoma is a chronic disease, you will be seeing your doctor at least once a year, if not more frequently, for a very long time. It is therefore essential to find a doctor who you can trust and talk to.
- Choose an eye specialist who is trained and experienced in taking care of glaucoma, because it can be a complicated disease to diagnose and treat. Especially since glaucoma has no symptoms, you must make sure you find for yourself a doctor who will discuss the risks and benefits of therapy, and will listen to your concerns about your vision and eye health.
- Also, it is essential to choose an eye hospital which has access to the latest technology for diagnosis and management of glaucoma. The basic glaucoma diagnostic equipment includes facilities for visual fields, pachymetry, gonioscopy, and RNFL OCT etcetera. In addition, the facility must have access to glaucoma lasers including Nd:YAG lasers for iridotomy and iridoplasty, and trabeculoplasty (ALT, SLT). In addition, your glaucoma doctor must be trained in glaucoma surgeries like trabeculectomy, Non penetrating glaucoma surgeries, Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgeries (MIGS), and glaucoma shunt implantation.
Follow your doctor’s instructions without fail: Since you have no symptoms because of glaucoma, and the eye drops prescribed can often give you scratchy and dry eyes, one tends to forget using the medication. Remember, eye drops are only effective if you use them as prescribed.
- Eye doctors know how difficult it is to keeping track of glaucoma medications, and will help you recount the dosage and frequency of your eye drops on each visit. In fact, there are several apps that you can download on to your smartphone which will help you set a recurrent alarm for your eye medications each day, and even remind you to get a refill from the pharmacy or visit your doctor.
- In addition, if you have any side effects, or fresh symptoms, please remember to discuss them with your doctor and avoid self-medication.
- Be regular with your follow up visits for eye checks and glaucoma investigations. Make sure you carry your previous records to each check-up, and it’s a good idea to carry all your medicines as well.
- In case your doctor recommends a laser treatment or surgery, make sure you understand its risks and benefits, as well as alternative treatment options before arriving at a decision. If in doubt, seek a second opinion without delay.
