Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Glaucoma

Doctors do not fully understand the exact causes of chronic glaucoma. However, factors such as high intraocular pressure, family history, ethnic background, age or optic nerve appearance may put you at risk for chronic glaucoma. Chronic glaucoma is also known as open angle glaucoma. The front of the eye is filled with a fluid called "aqueous humor." This fluid is continuously made in the back portion of the eye. It leaves the eye through channels in the eye called the "anterior chamber angle," or simply the "angles.". Blockage of this channel causes aqueous humor to build up in the eye and put pressure on the optic nerve. This results in damage to vision.

Early Symptoms

• Early symptoms of chronic glaucoma are extremely hard to notice because they are so gradual, happening over a long period of time. Chronic glaucoma also progresses painlessly, so you would not feel any pain in your eyes, pressure on the optic nerve or the building up of aqueous fluid in your eyes. Early symptoms may include small changes in peripheral vision such as black spots in vision, which begin as very small losses in eyesight. These peripheral changes are extremely difficult to notice since they are so small.

Noticeable Symptoms

• Eventually you will begin to notice issues with your eyesight. The symptoms are tiny blind spots in the edges of your field of vision, blurred vision, colored halos and lights around objects, eye adjustment problems when entering a darkened room, repeated difficulties in vision (which new eyeglasses do not help) and a decreasing in peripheral vision. Around this time, you should contact your optometrist and make an appointment.

Later Symptoms

• The black edges in your field of vision will eventually spread so you have restricted vision. You will only see objects directly in front of you; all other side vision is black. This change in vision is called "tunnel vision" and only occurs in severe cases when patients do not seek help from their optometrist right away. Damage done to vision is permanent and cannot be repaired. In severe cases, both eyes can become damaged and go totally blind.