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SYMPTOMS OF GLAUCOMA
The scariest part of this disease is that most patients do not experience symptoms until they are nearly or totally blind. As the nerve cells die, the peripheral field of vision is progressively lost until the patients have only a small tunnel of central vision, which eventually is lost as well. That small tunnel, however, often allows patients to read normally and their straight-ahead vision may be quite good. As the loss of side vision has often been gradual, most patients are not aware of it, especially when it's relatively even between the two eyes.
Along with the loss of side vision goes the loss of contrast vision, the ability to tell shades of gray or to distinguish a glass of water on a white surface. This also manifests itself in a progressive loss of night vision.
Should the eye pressure rise to twice or thrice normal, the eye might actually become painful, usually an aching pain. If the pressure goes even higher, the pain can become the worst headache of one's life, go along with nausea and an acute darkening of vision, as well as halos around lights. The latter usually describes a special subtype of glaucoma called acute glaucoma and requires immediate attention.
In children who are born with glaucoma, which usually means very high pressures, there may be very different symptoms. Often they will have excessive tearing, light sensitivity, cloudy and very large eyes. This is very rare and the vast majority of children with excessive tearing simply have blocked tear ducts.
Most importantly, sharp pain, itching, changes in the reading vision and really most eye symptoms anyone will experience have nothing to do with glaucoma.
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