On the 5th of March, the world observes World Glaucoma Day in response to the growing number of people living with the disease globally. Every person, old and young, with a set of eyes, should be aware of the risks related to this disease.
Glaucoma is a condition where abnormally high-pressure in your eye – referred to as intraocular pressure – damages your eye’s optic nerve and could potentially lead to blindness if untreated. Although people of all ages are at risk of glaucoma, senior citizens are at a higher risk as well as people with a family history of glaucoma.
Depending on the type of glaucoma an individual has, symptoms may vary. One of the most common types of glaucoma is Open-Angle glaucoma, which develops slowly and gradually deteriorates your vision. This type of glaucoma has no warning signs and is not painful until it is too late.
Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma is another type, which is rare – symptoms include severe eye pain, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, reddening of the eye, sudden onset of visual disturbance, often in low light. This typically happens when the flow of the aqueous humour outside of the eye is blocked and pressure inside of the eye becomes too high very quickly. This type has to be treated quickly as it may lead to permanent loss of vision.