November 5, 2021
It is generally associated with increased intraocular pressure and damage to the optic nerve - the glaucoma causes damage to vision, and the ophthalmologist Pedro Faria explains that there are specific tests to reach a diagnosis:
Stinging and red eye are usually not caused by glaucoma, but by conjunctivitis or allergy, or other causes of eye inflammation. Glaucoma does not usually give any symptoms; that is why this disease is even called the silent thief of sight.
This means that the diagnosis is usually made or suspected at a normal ophthalmology consultation and then confirmed by specific tests, such as visual field examination or optic nerve tomography.
The only exception to what I just said is a rarer type of glaucoma which is closed angle glaucoma, which can lead to a severe case of red eye with severe pain and low vision, but not with stinging. But it is a rare condition, as I said.
This and other advice is available on the TSF website.
With the support of the Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology.
