Glaucoma Symptoms Are Easy To Miss—How To Spot the ‘Silent Thief of Sight’ Before It’s Too Late
The good news? Catching the sneaky warning signs early can protect your vision
It’s one of the most common causes of vision loss, and one of the easiest to overlook. Glaucoma symptoms develop so gradually that many people don’t realize their sight is slipping away until significant damage has occurred. Fortunately, spotting the subtle warning signs when the condition is still in its early stages can reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.
“About half of the people who have glaucoma don’t actually know they have it,” says Aaki Shukla, MD, glaucoma specialist and Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Because it develops so gradually, most patients don’t realize anything is wrong until the disease is advanced.”
That’s what makes glaucoma so easy to overlook—and why Dr. Shukla says awareness is your best protection.
Woman's World Answers
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma isn’t a single disease, but a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, the delicate structure that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. It develops when the clear fluid inside the eye doesn’t drain properly, gradually building intraocular pressure that harms the nerve.
“We call it the ‘silent thief of sight,’” says Dr. Shukla. “Most forms come on very slowly. The signs are so nonspecific that people rarely think of glaucoma first.”
And often, one eye “hides” what’s happening to the other. “Because both eyes work together, it’s possible to lose quite a bit of vision in one eye before realizing something’s off,” she adds. “Many people don’t recognize it until it’s pointed out during an eye exam.”
What causes glaucoma?
Age is one of the biggest risk factors, Dr. Shukla says. “The risk increases steadily after 50,” she explains. “And while menopause itself isn’t a proven cause, early research suggests estrogen might play a protective role for eye health.”
Family history is another strong risk factor. “If a parent, sibling or child has glaucoma, your own risk can be up to 10 times higher,” Dr. Shukla emphasizes.
“Because glaucoma develops so gradually, most patients don’t realize anything is wrong until the disease is advanced.” —Aaki Shukla, MD
And of course, underlying health conditions can play a role in causing high eye pressure and ultimately glaucoma. “People with diabetes or those who use steroid medications—even creams or inhalers—are at higher risk,” she says. “Steroids can interfere with how the eye drains fluid, raising pressure.”
Finally, women of African American, Hispanic and Asian descent are more likely to develop glaucoma, Dr. Shukla adds.
3 common glaucoma symptoms
While many of the warning signs of glaucoma are easy to miss, knowing what to watch for (and keeping up with your regular eye exams) can help you and your doctor catch the condition early. “Glaucoma rarely causes pain,” Dr. Shukla says. Instead, you may notice subtle shifts in your vision. “Many people have no idea anything’s wrong,” she adds.
Here, the symptoms of glaucoma Dr. Shukla says you should never ignore:
- Glare or foggy patches, “like looking out on a hazy day”
- Halos (bright circles or rings around lights)
- Blurred vision
A simple habit that can help you notice changes sooner: “Cover one eye, then the other and look around,” Dr. Shukla suggests. “It sounds simple, but it’s often the first way to detect a difference between your eyes.”
Still, nothing replaces a comprehensive eye exam to catch glaucoma symptoms. “Glaucoma and other eye conditions are most often caught when people come in for glasses or a routine checkup,” Dr. Shukla explains. “That’s why everyone over 40 should have a full dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist every year or two.”
When glaucoma does cause pain
A rare, urgent form called angle-closure glaucoma (which can be either acute angle-closure glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma) can cause very different symptoms than more common types of glaucoma, such as open-angle glaucoma. “It causes sudden, severe eye pain, blurred vision, even nausea,” says Dr. Shukla. “It happens when the eye’s drainage system becomes blocked. It’s a medical emergency, but it’s also treatable with a quick laser procedure or, in some cases, cataract surgery.”
Glaucoma treatment options
Fortunately, “if we find glaucoma early, we can keep people seeing well for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Shukla says. That usually means starting with a non-invasive laser treatment in the office or prescription eye drops, which lower pressure inside the eye and help prevent further nerve damage.
For patients in midlife or beyond, the condition can occur alongside another common vision change—cataracts—allowing doctors to treat glaucoma by lowering eye pressure and restoring your sight at the same time. Cataracts form as the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy with age, and because glaucoma risk also rises over those same years, it’s common for the two conditions to overlap. (See the difference between glaucoma vs cataracts.)
When both are present, Dr. Shukla often combines cataract and minimally-invasive glaucoma surgery in a single procedure. Removing the cloudy lens not only sharpens vision, but can also open the eye’s drainage system, reducing pressure. “Many of my glaucoma patients are in their 60s and starting to get cataracts,” she says. “These surgeries work in concert—we treat both at once so patients can see better and keep their pressure under control.”
Recovery, she adds, is generally smooth. Most people notice clearer vision within a week, and full healing typically takes about a month.
The #1 simple habit that protects your sight
Dr. Shukla says the best way to safeguard your sight and reduce your risk of developing glaucoma symptoms is to stay consistent with checkups. “Everyone over the age of 40 should be seen by an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye exam,” she says.
She also advises mentioning any risk factors at those appointments, such as a family history of glaucoma, diabetes or steroid use, and a history of eye inuries. Those details help doctors catch subtle changes early.
“One of the best parts of ophthalmology is that mostly we can make some major steps in restoring sight and improving quality of life and helping people remain connected and involved in the world,” Dr. Sukla adds.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
