Acute glaucoma is an emergency. See an eye doctor right away to prevent vision loss.
What are the symptoms of acute glaucoma?
- Sudden, severe eye pain
- Decreased or cloudy vision
- Nausea and vomiting
- Seeing halos around lights
- Red eye
- Headaches
If you experience these symptoms, see an eye doctor as soon as possible.
How is acute glaucoma treated?
Your doctor will lower your eye pressure. There are different ways to do this:
- Eye drop medications.
- Intravenous (IV) and oral medications.
- A laser can lower eye pressure by making a new path for fluid to flow.
- Surgery may be required in some cases.
What is acute glaucoma?
Acute glaucoma is one type of glaucoma. It is also called “angle closure glaucoma.”
Fluid in the eye drains through a channel in the front of the eye. In acute glaucoma, this channel gets suddenly blocked by the iris (or colored part of the eye). This blockage causes fluid to build up in the eye. The extra fluid makes the eye pressure too high. High eye pressure can quickly damage the eye and cause vision loss.
Angle closure glaucoma
Angle closure glaucoma can happen slowly in some people, and it is called “chronic angle closure glaucoma.
Will I see again?
If you go to your eye doctor right away, your vision has a very good chance of coming back.