Glaucoma is typically a condition that most people associate with senior age. Although it's more common when you're older, people at any age can experience the onset. Unfortunately, glaucoma may result in blindness when not managed properly. At Medina Eye Care, serving San Antonio, Castroville, and the surrounding Texas areas, we recommend understanding the symptoms and causes to better understand glaucoma.

Causes

Glaucoma is various eye conditions that damage the optic nerve. Glaucoma can be caused by fluid building up in the eye or improperly draining, resulting in high eye pressure. It often runs in families. Glaucoma isn't preventable but can be managed. You can prevent issues when you know the symptoms and understand if you're more at risk.

Symptoms

Symptoms vary based on the type of glaucoma a patient is experiencing. Symptoms often include:

Blind Spots

Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle of your cornea and iris are unblocked, but your meshwork has blockage. When experiencing open-angle glaucoma, you may develop patchy blind spots in either your central or peripheral vision, usually in both eyes.

Tunnel Vision

As open-angle glaucoma progresses, patients may develop tunnel vision. This occurs when you lose your peripheral vision on both sides of an eye.

Severe Headache

As the pressure builds up quickly from acute angular closure glaucoma, you may experience a sudden, severe headache.

Eye Pain

Acute angular closure glaucoma is often painful. The sudden build-up of fluid will cause sudden eye pain.

Nausea and Vomiting

When high pressure rises in an eye with acute angular closure glaucoma, you may have corneoscleral stretch, which occurs when your cornea and the white outer layer of your eye stretches. This increase in size excites the oculo-trigemino-vago-abdominal reflex. As a result, you may have abdominal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.

Vision Abnormalities

If the pressure in your eye elevates quickly, you could experience blurred vision and see halos around lights.

Visit Us for Eye Care from Our Eye Doctor in San Antonio and Castroville

Contact us at Medina Eye Care for an eye doctor for proper glaucoma detection and management. Our team is committed to providing patients the eye care they need for optimal vision. Call our San Antonio office at 210-225-4141 or our Castroville office at 830-931-2328 to schedule your next eye exam or to learn more about how our eye doctor can help you and your family.