IN 1984, Jeanette Simpson-Edwards was diagnosed with glaucoma at age 31. An ophthalmologist told Simpson that prescription eye drops should help resolve the condition without causing any damage to her vision. Not noticing any vision problems, Simpson says she often neglected using the drops.

Thirteen years later in 1997, still symptom-free, she saw an optometrist for eyeglasses. The optometrist noticed that the untreated glaucoma had caused Simpson’ s optic nerve to deteriorate. Simpson began to use the eye drops again, but symptoms of the glaucoma still didn’ t appear until 2008— a full 24 years after her initial diagnosis.“ Suddenly I wondered why I was bumping into things and running into curbs,” Simpson recalls.

Today, Simpson, who lives in Noblesville, Ind., has lost parts of her peripheral vision and has undergone laser

treatments to reduce swelling and pain in her eyes. She has regular headaches because her eyes tire quickly as she struggles to focus beyond the blurring.

Though many people experience both headache and eye pain, it is often unclear whether the two conditions are directly linked. Following are three conditions that can cause vision problems and head pain: glaucoma, pituitary apoplexy and giant cell arteritis. Evaluation by a medical specialist can reveal these conditions early, before headaches worsen and vision deteriorates.

GLAUCOMA

In a normal eye, the fluid behind the iris is able to enter and exit as it needs. With glaucoma, that fluid can be blocked, creating a build-up of pressure in the eye that damages the optic nerve and causes pain. If left

unchecked, it can cause vision loss, blindness and headaches.

There are four types of glaucoma:

1. CHRONIC OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA: This type of glaucoma is the most common and involves a slow buildup of pressure over time. That slow increase, combined with a lack of symptoms, often means that the patient doesn’ t notice a problem until the damage has already been done, notes the National Institutes of Health( NIH) in PubMed Health.

Despite a lack of symptoms, a routine eye exam could reveal the condition, as was the case for Simpson. By dilating the pupils and using a gonioscopy( a mirrored prism used to view the inner workings of the eye, not generally used unless the physician suspects glaucoma),