Acute Glaucoma
A.K.A. Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma. This type of glaucoma is where the drainage channels inside your eye are blocked or damaged in some way. This causes the eye pressure to increase rapidly.
The sudden increase in pressure can come and go, which can cause short bursts of pain or discomfort and blurred vision. You may notice it more in the dark when your pupils are slightly larger.
Other symptoms include; headaches or eye ache, nausea and vomiting, red eyes or seeing a coloured halo around white lights.
If you experience any of these symptoms, even if they are intermittent, you need to have your eyes tested immediately, as the vision can be affected each time the pressure rises.
If the symptoms do not resolve themselves, you should visit the closest eye casualty department as the vision can be damaged permanently. At the hospital, the use a combination of oral medication and eye drops to bring the pressure down rapidly.
The main risk factor of Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma is having a narrow Anterior Chamber Angle, sometimes this channel can close up causing a build up of fluid in the eye, which in turn causes a sudden increase in the eye pressure. This is something we routinely asses in your eye examination.