Symptoms

Most commonly there are no symptoms at all. People with more advanced glaucoma may notice, patchy blind spots in the outer edges of your vision or loss of peripheral (side) vision.

Symptoms of acute angle closure glaucoma, which is quite uncommon, may notice:

• Blurred vision.
• Eye redness
• Dilated pupil
• Sudden severe eye pain associated with severe headaches, nausea, and vomiting.
• Halos or coloured rings around lights.

Diagnosis

Regular eye tests are crucial in catching glaucoma in its initial stages. If you have a family history of glaucoma, are over the age of 50, or have any other risk factors for glaucoma, it is important to visit an optometrist regularly.

Your eye care professional will conduct an examination of your eye which may include:

• Checking your visual acuity, which is your ability to see detail at different distances. This can include recognising letters at varying distances.
• Assessing your peripheral vision with a visual field test (perimetry), which is your ability to see in your side vision.
• Checking your retina and optic nerve at the back of your eye with an ophthalmoscope by shining a light into your eye and looking through different lenses or using an optical coherence tomography scan (OCT) which creates a 3D cross section image to see the layers in the retina or take a digital colour photo of the retina.
• Checking the surface of your eye and other structures within the eye with a microscope called a slit lamp.
• Measuring the pressure in your eyes (tonometry).
• Measuring the thickness of the cornea (pachymetry).
• Examining the angle where the cornea and iris meets (gonioscopy).

For more information

• Always speak to your GP and eye care professional about the best treatment options for you.
• Visit Glaucoma Australia.