As your trusted ophthalmologist, we believe it’s our duty to help you navigate the often uncertain waters of various eye diseases. It’s not enough to determine that you just can’t see as well as you did when you were younger. You need an accurate diagnosis and plan that gives you proper direction on how to have your healthiest vision possible. Being able to see and interact with the world we live in, to read literature and experience art is connected to our vitality, so we are committed to help keep the vessels that allow you to experience these valuable aspects of life in good health.

In our pursuit of educating the Round Rock and Greater Austin community about the common eye issues you may encounter, we’ve prepared a variety of information articles to aid your research efforts. Our topic of discussion in this post is glaucoma.

The Symptoms of Glaucoma

There are a variety of different types of glaucoma. There’s open-angle glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma and normal tension glaucoma. Obviously, all of these different facets of the disease will have different symptoms and different ways to treat those symptoms.

Open-Angle Glaucoma

This variation of glaucoma features no obvious symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which renders it potentially the most dangerous type of glaucoma. As this disease progresses the individual can develop blind spots often in the peripherals. Many who experience this type of glaucoma won’t notice a difference in their vision until the damage is quite severe. This particular variation of glaucoma is called the “silent thief of sight,” because it’s emergence is often so subdued.

Angle-Closure Glaucoma

Much like open-angle, individuals who are at risk of angle-closure glaucoma also show hardly any symptoms before an attack. However, some early symptoms of the disease that could show up and should be watched for include: blurred vision, halos, mild headaches and eye pain. If you experience any of these symptoms please contact the Round Rock Eye Consultants office immediately. An attack from this disease includes severe pain the eye and forehead region, redness of the eye, decreased vision and blurred vision, seeing rainbows and halos, nausea, and vomiting.

Normal Tension Glaucoma

Individuals who are suffering from normal tension glaucoma will experience eye pressure that is considered within normal ranges but still show signs of glaucoma. These symptoms would include optic nerve damage and blind spots.

What Causes Glaucoma?

Your eye is constantly creating “aqueous humor.” As new aqueous liquid flows into your eye, the same amount should drain out. This process keeps the pressure in the eye stable, but if the drainage is not functioning properly the fluids will start to build up and cause the pressure to change. Once the pressure starts to rise, the optic nerve might start to sustain damage. It can start to damage various portions of your optic nerve, and parts of your vision can begin to “go black” until vision is diminished to complete blindness.

Schedule With Our Opthalmologist In Round Rock

If you fear you’re suffering from any one of these issues we recommend scheduling an appointment with us as soon as possible. Our experienced, award-winning ophthalmologist can outline glaucoma treatment plans and aid you toward preventing eventual blindness. If you have questions about how we treat glaucoma or the various procedures we would recommend, please reach out to us. We’re always happy to talk you through the diagnosis and the best actions you can take now to help avoid the worst case scenario later.