Cataracts/Glaucoma

[britsheldon25]

Can prolonged cataracts lead to glaucoma? Or are they independent conditions? I've had worse cataracts in one eye for a while and have been prolonging surgery since my other eye is still good but was worried since my worse eye is getting pretty bad and was wondering if it could lead to other more serious conditions that are irreversible.

[JohnHaganMD]

Yes large cataracts can cause or aggravate eye pressure and removing a cataract generally lower eye pressure and helps patients with glaucoma   Cataract surgery is generally done sooner than in non-glaucoma patients because of this extra benefit

[britsheldon25]

That said is there any way of differentiating the symptoms between glaucoma and cataracts in a non-diabetic patient that suffers from cataracts? I read glaucoma may be asymptomatic and if there are symptoms they are similar to those of cataracts so only an evaluation could tell..acute pain being one of them, but I have dry eyes so I was told my eyes may be sore occasionally from that. Thank you.

[JohnHaganMD]

Glaucoma doesn't cause symptoms until late in the course of the disease except for the very painful acute glaucoma which is common in Asians. Cataracts cause visual symptoms but not pain or discomfort. Common cataract symptoms are glare, blurred vision, night driving problems, color perception problems with pastel and mute colors and a feeling the glasses are always dirty.