Pigmentary Glaucoma Symptoms

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States. Generally, glaucoma is a group of conditions all characterized by increased pressure inside of the eye. Like all forms of glaucoma, having pigmentary glaucoma puts you at risk for losing your sight. Because of this, it is important to understand and recognize the symptoms of pigmentary glaucoma.

Causes

• If you have pigmentary glaucoma, the iris, or colored part of your eye, is shaped like a bowl with the base of the bowl pointing outward. This makes your iris extra wide, causing it to rub on the lens of your eye. Over time, this rubbing causes parts of the iris to flake off and float inside of your eye. When one of these small flakes becomes lodged inside the tiny tubes of the trabecular meshwork used to drain fluids from your eyes, it clogs the structure. This limits the necessary draining and causes increased pressure in your eyes.

Types of Symptoms

• Often, pigementary glaucoma causes no symptoms at first. The first sign is usually a strange colored halo that appears around lights. Faint pain and occasional blurred vision are also common during early stages. Like other types of open-angle glaucoma, effects upon sight generally begin with blurred or difficult peripheral vision. Over time, this develops into a condition known as tunnel vision, where you are only able to see straight ahead, as if you are wearing blinders.

Features

• Men are more susceptible to pigmentary glaucoma symptoms, particularly white males between the ages of 20 and 40. This separates pigmentary glaucoma from other types of glaucoma conditions, which are more prevalent in patients over 65 years of age and six to eight times more likely in African Americans. Patients who are nearsighted are more likely to have irregularly shaped irises, leading to increased incidences of pigmentary glaucoma. When they first begin, the symptoms of pigmentary glaucoma often present immediately following physical activity or exercise when pressure in your eyes is highest. In some cases, the progression of symptoms in pigmentary glaucoma patients occurs very quickly.

Diagnosis

• Even if you have no symptoms, your doctor is likely to discover that you have increased pressure during a routine checkup using a machine called a tonometer that measures your corneal pressure. If your pressure is abnormal, a pachymeter measures the thickness of cornea, helping your doctor rule out possible causes for the increase in pressure. A visual field test reveals any blind spots in your peripheral vision due to pigmentary glaucoma. More advanced imaging procedures are also available to help your doctor identify the area of blockage in your eyes, including opthalmoscopy, later tomography and gonioscopy.

Treatment

• Prescription miotic eye drops are the most common treatment for pigmentary glaucoma as these medications encourage increased draining in your eyes. Unfortunately, this treatment poses the risk for permanent blurred vision in younger patients, who are more commonly sufferers of pigmentary glaucoma. Because of this, your doctor is likely to prescribe a slow-release version of the drops. Some doctors also use laser surgery to treat pigmentary glaucoma.