If eye pressure stays high (ocular hypertension), the delicate fibers of the optic nerve can become compressed and damaged, leading to glaucoma, a serious eye disease that causes irreversible vision loss, often starting with peripheral (side) vision, and potentially leading to blindness if untreated. While high pressure doesn't always cause immediate damage, it significantly increases your risk, requiring regular monitoring and management to protect your sight.
Research shows that high eye pressure increases your risk for glaucoma. Experts believe that when the pressure inside your eye gets too high, it can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. And studies show that lowering eye pressure can help stop vision loss from glaucoma.
Intraocular Pressure (Eye Pressure)
The higher the eye pressure, the higher risk of going blind due to glaucoma. On average, let's take a closer look at the relationship between intraocular pressure and going blind from glaucoma: 21-25 mmHg – if left untreated, it takes about 15 years for glaucoma to cause blindness.
What does high eye pressure feel like? High eye pressure, also known as ocular hypertension, often doesn't cause noticeable symptoms. However, some individuals may experience symptoms such as mild eye discomfort, headaches, or changes in vision.
In children, increased eye pressure can be due to abnormal drain formation during pregnancy or trauma/damage to the drain.
Treatment of glaucoma aims to lower intraocular pressure. Treatment options include prescription eye drops, oral medicines, laser treatment, surgery or a combination of approaches.
Screen time is not considered a direct cause of glaucoma progression, but research shows that prolonged device use can temporarily increase intraocular pressure, particularly in people who already have glaucoma. These pressure increases are usually temporary and return to baseline after you stop using screens.
What are the symptoms of glaucoma?
Early signs of an eye stroke (retinal artery occlusion or ischemic optic neuropathy) typically involve sudden, painless vision loss or changes, most often in only one eye, including blurred vision, blind spots, floaters, or a dark shadow covering part of your sight. It often happens upon waking and is a medical emergency requiring immediate attention to potentially save sight and identify a risk for a full stroke.
Other things that can temporarily raise eye pressure include lifting heavy weights, playing wind instruments, wearing a tight necktie or using swimming goggles. If you go swimming, it's best to wear larger goggles, because smaller ones press on the orbit of the eye which increases eye pressure.
If glaucoma goes untreated, you can go blind. Glaucoma is progressive, meaning it steadily worsens over time. Because most people don't notice symptoms early on, significant optic nerve damage may already be happening before you realize anything is wrong. Once that vision is gone, it can't be restored.
Glaucoma is usually caused by a build-up of pressure in the eye. This happens when the fluid in your eye cannot drain as it should. This increase in pressure damages the nerve that connects the eye to the brain (optic nerve).
Eye pressure pain, usually experienced during acute glaucoma attacks, feels like a sharp or severe aching sensation. It is often paired with redness, nausea, and rapidly worsening blurry vision. This is often considered a medical emergency, and you should seek immediate treatment.
If the pressure in your eye is over 21mmHg then you may be told you have raised pressure. If it less than 30mmHg you may not be advised to have treatment, as long as everything else is healthy with your eyes and your general health.
Blurred Vision That Comes and Goes
Instead, you might notice that your vision becomes hazy or unclear for periods of time, then seems to improve. This type of blurred vision happens when increased eye pressure affects the optic nerve (the nerve that carries visual information from your eye to your brain).
Ocular hypertension cannot be cured, but it can be managed with medication to reduce the risk of glaucoma. People who receive treatment for ocular hypertension may be up to 50% less likely to develop glaucoma. Still, some people treated for ocular hypertension eventually develop glaucoma.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
How is an eye stroke diagnosed? An eye stroke is diagnosed during an eye exam. Your eye doctor will use specialized tools and imaging devices to obtain a clear view of your inner eye and identify signs of retinal fluid or damage.
These symptoms include blurred or double vision, a droopy eyelid, a dilated pupil, pain above or behind one eye, weakness or numbness, he said. “If you experience these symptoms, contact your primary care provider quickly, and you can be screened using a brain scan,” Bradbury said.
Your healthcare provider can tell if the pressure inside your eye is high when they do their testing. In some cases, you may feel eye pain with movement of your eyes or touching your eyes. Even though some eye problems may create headaches or dizziness, this doesn't usually happen with ocular hypertension.
How to Lower Intraocular Eye Pressure
Sinus infection
These infections cause your sinuses to expand and mucus to build up in your nose. You'll feel pressure in the upper region of your face, especially behind your eyes and around your cheekbones. Additional symptoms of sinusitis may include: Fever.
Poor or excess fluid drainage, eye injuries, certain medications, family history, and thin or rigid corneas are all potential causes of elevated eye pressure, which increases the risk of developing glaucoma.
Studies have shown that peak IOP occurs at night or in the early morning hours in two-thirds of glaucoma patients. IOP has been shown to increase by 3 to 4mm Hg when a patient is lying flat face upward.
The 10-10-10 rule for eyes is a simple strategy to combat digital eye strain: every 10 minutes, take a 10-second break and look at something at least 10 feet away, giving your eyes a rest from near-focus on screens. This practice helps prevent eye fatigue, dryness, and headaches by allowing eye muscles to relax and encouraging blinking, which is often reduced during screen use, says Healthline and Brinton Vision.