About Dr. Anshu Sahai Expertise All queries related to : Cataract, Phacoemulsification, Glaucoma, Squint, Amblyopia, LASIK, LASEK, Retina, Diabetic Retinopathy
Experience 10 years
Organizations Dr.R.M.Sahai Memorial Institute of Ophthalmology,
a unit of
Sahai Hospital & Research Centre,Jaipur
Expert: Dr. Anshu Sahai Date: 6/29/2008 Subject: Glaucoma and Head Trauma
Question A couple of months ago, I was getting my eyes checked so that I could get contact lenses. When my ocular pressure was being checked, the doctor said that it was a little higher than the normal range and that this can be an indicator of glaucoma. I am 18 years old, so she also said that because of my age, it is very rare for me to have it. My father's family has a history of eye problems. When I did a little research, I found that glaucoma can also be caused by head trauma. About 5 years ago, I went ice skating. I fell backward and hit the back of my head on the ice, and for about 30 minutes to an hour (I'm not sure how long, because the only person with me at the time was my little cousin and the staff, who were a bunch of people only a few years older than me) I forgot my phone number, my parents' names, my brother's name, and my address. The staff put an ice pack on my head and asked me questions regarding how to contact someone to get me, and I could not remember anything that would answer their questions. As that half hour to an hour passed, I remembered little by little, and when my dad and uncle came to pick us up, I was okay; my head was just a little sore. I did not go to a doctor or anything to be checked up, but for about a year or two after that I was fine. I had headaches once in a while, but they started to become more and more frequent, and now my head hurts all the time. Some days, the pain is really dull, so it doesn't bother me too much, other days it hurts enough to bother me, and some days it hurts so much that I feel nauseous and cannot function normally. How likely is it for me to have glaucoma? And how do I figure out a way to get help? My doctor is my aunt, so she cannot be objective when treating me and she thinks my headaches are due to stress. I am on vacation right now, but I still have the same headaches.
Answer Dear Ridhi,
I appreciate your concerns about glaucoma.
Glaucoma, caused by injury is actually a relatively very rare entity. Also a majority of such glaucomas are caused by direct injury to the eye. Glaucoma developing some time after such injuries is usually of the type "angle recession glaucoma". This is a very rare type of glaucoma and usually requires a series of tests to confirm the diagnosis.
It is however very much a matter of concern if your ocular pressure (called IOP) is high, that too at the young age of 18 !. Also added by the fact that you have a family history of eye problems (if that includes glaucoma).
I would strongly recommend that you see and eye doctor, who might get some tests done for glaucoma. The least you can do is to get your pressures checked a couple of times, to see whether the pressures are persistently raised, or the last exam was just a freak episode !
Other tests that your doctor might consider would include a UBM(to check for any injury related changes in the eye that could lead to glaucoma), A Visual Field Analysis (to see if glaucoma has damaged your optic nerve) and OCT (to check your retinal nerve fibre layer for glaucoma related damage). These tests are time consuming and most probably would be quite expensive, but would at least confirm your suspicion OR put your mind to rest over the concern of glaucoma !
I must mention that damage to the nerve of the eye caused by glaucoma is irreversible. Hence it is importance to confirm the diagnosis as soon as possible, and if glaucoma does exist, to start treatment as soon as possible.
Another point to consider (if possible) is to visit the optometrist for a pressure check AT THE TIME you have a headache. This will confirm whether your headaches are related to glaucoma or are totally unrelated. Headaches localised in areas above/ around the eye have a high suspicion of being glaucoma related, whereas headaches affecting the side or back of the head are more commonly unrelated to glaucoma.
Finally, I would like to state that irrespective of the cause, any headache needs to be addressed, cause needs to be diagnosed and treated accordingly.
I hope this answers your query. However please feel free to write back again.
Regards
Dr. Anshu Sahai
Dr.R.M.Sahai Memorial Institute of Ophthalmology
Jaipur, India
www.sahaihospital.com
