Glaucoma is an eye disorder in which an increase in pressure within the eye leads to damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma affects approximately 14 million people worldwide, of which 3 million are Americans, notes Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The term "angle glaucoma" may refer to either open-angle glaucoma or angle-closure glaucoma. Symptoms of those types of angle glaucoma may appear suddenly or slowly over time.
Loss of Peripheral Vision
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma and in most cases, no symptoms occur during the early stage of the disorder, notes the American Health Assistance Foundation. During this stage, pressure in the eye increases slowly until damage to the optic nerve causes symptoms to appear. The first symptom of open-angle glaucoma is usually loss of peripheral, or side, vision. The vision loss may occur in other parts of the visual field, and people may find themselves missing stairs, having difficulty driving or missing parts of words while reading, notes Merck Manuals.
Tunnel Vision
As damage to the optic nerve increases, loss of peripheral vision continues and a symptom known as tunnel vision develops, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. A patient with tunnel vision can only see things directly in front of the eyes, and the effect is like looking down a tunnel. Over time the visible area decreases, and without treatment, loss of vision continues until it ends in blindness.
Pain, Nausea and Vomiting
In acute angle-closure glaucoma, symptoms may appear abruptly as pressure in the eye suddenly increases. Those symptoms often include severe pain in the eye or eyebrow area. Patients may feel as if the eye may burst, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. The eye may be red, and the patient may experience blurred or decreased vision. He may suffer from headaches and could begin to see halos around sources of light. Nausea and vomiting might accompany the pain and visual disturbance symptoms. The severity of the nausea and vomiting symptoms might lead to initial misdiagnosis of a gastrointestinal disorder.
In chronic or long-term angle-closure glaucoma, symptoms may resemble those occurring with the open-angle form of the disorder. Additional symptoms include eye redness, blurred vision and headache that diminishes in intensity after sleep.
References
- Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Glaucoma
- American Health Assistance Foundation: Symptoms of Glaucoma
- Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma
- Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Angle-Closure Glaucoma
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Glaucoma Symptoms
