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Signs of Eye Pressure

Eye pressure that is high can lead to optic nerve damage, putting you at a risk of developing glaucoma. One type of glaucoma that is often associated with high eye pressure is referred to as chronic or "open angle glaucoma". The condition is often untreatable in its advanced stages, and AARP reports that approximately 120,000 people in the United States have been afflicted with blindness due to open angle glaucoma. Fortunately, if increased eye pressure is diagnosed early enough by an ophthalmologist, it can be easily treated with special eye drops.

  1. What is Eye Pressure?

    • The pressure inside the human eye is referred to as "intraocular pressure". Eye pressure measurements are read in "millimeters of mercury" (mmHg), named for the Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli who discovered the principle measurement. According to eMedicalHealth.com, normal eye pressure ranges should be well within the 10 to 21 millimeters of mercury. Ocular hypertension (high eye pressure) is noted at 22 mmHg or above.

    Light Sensitivity

    • St. Luke's Eye reports that the rise in eye pressure that leads to chronic glaucoma can sometimes make the eyes sensitive to light. This sensitivity is referred to as "photophobia" and although it is very common, it can become intensified by high eye pressure. If pain or extreme sensitivity occurs in areas of low light, an appointment should be made immediately with an eye specialist.

    Watery Eyes

    • According to the American Eye Center, high eye pressure is often the result of an improper drainage of eye fluid. Although the eye is producing a normal amount of fluid, drainage canals within the eye can become blocked, resulting in oxygen deprivation and a rise in eye pressure. The eye liquid will begin to seep from the eyes when there is nowhere else for it to go. Resulting in what is known as "watery eyes".

    Swollen Eye Lids

    • Sometimes swollen eyelids can be a sign that there is an increase of eye pressure in the eye. Blepharitis is a clogging of the eye glands that is caused by bacteria. Washington Eye explains that although blepharitis is common, if it is left untreated it can result in an infection of the eye. Antibiotics, in combination with steroids, may be necessary to cure the infection. But, patients who are treated with steroids must be closely monitored to ensure that their eye pressure does not continue to increase.

    Vision Distortion

    • Damage to the eye from increased eye pressure is usually a slow process. In fact, Lighthouse International notes that most people do not even realize that their vision is decreasing. But as eye pressure continues to rise, depth perception and the ability to recognize color contrast diminishes. Sometimes the first sign that eye pressure is elevated is difficulty driving at night.

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