What are early signs of Glaucoma?

I have been near-sighted and wearing glasses since I was 11 yrs. old. I am now 34 yrs. old and having problems with my eyes. I went to a specialist a few years ago and he said that I may be developing glaucoma ot maybe I was just born with that pressure in my eyes. I never went back to have them checked again. Over the past couple of years I seem to have a difficulty driving at night, like night blindness. And two times, over the past few months, I have experienced seeing bright spots in the form of an arc. It prevents me from reading or seeing the majority of my face in the mirror. And today it blocked my peripheral vision, on my left side. I'm thankful that these temporary blind moments only last but about 15-20 minutes. I'm only wondering if this has to do with glaucoma, am I at a later stage or is it still curable? Is this something that can be fixed with surgery?

Symptoms of open-angle glaucoma are narrowing peripheral vision, mild headaches, vague visual disturbances, and tunnel vision.
Symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma (chronic)...Chronic glaucoma is usually asymptomatic until irreversible damage has already been done. Signs that chronic glaucoma has already progressed include intense pain in one eye with vision problems, nausea and vomiting, swollen eyelid, red and watery eye, and vision loss.
Night blindness can be helped with vitamin a supplementation, if it has nothing to do with the glaucoma.
There are some natural therapies that can be safely used alongside anything your doctor prescribes....
Eat plenty of whole grains and fresh fruits and veges. Carotenoids are essential for optimum eye health, so eat plenty of orange, yellow, and green leafy veges. Fresh vege juice several times a day is also excellent.
The bioflavanoid anthocyanidin fights free radicals and helps keep the collagen around the eye healthy and flexible. Blueberries and cherries are excellent sources.
Drink lots of clean water to flush out toxins and to keep the eye tissues supple. Spread your consumption of water and other liquids out across the day so that you do not build up pressure in your eye.
Fish oils may also help lower eye pressure. Incorporate fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and cod into your meals two or three times a week, and/or take fish oil supplements.
Chromium and magnesium both have beneficial effects on glaucoma. Brewer's yeast is the best source of chromium; kelp (available in capsules), leafy greens, apples, and safflower and sesame oils will provide you with magnesium.
Caffeine has been shown to reduce blood flow to the eye, so avoid coffee, chocolate and caffeinated teas and sodas. Also avoid alcohol.
Head to the health food shop and get yourself some magnesium, vitamin C, fish oils, alpha lipoic acid (antioxidant), bilberry, ginkgo biloba, and chromium.
Grape seed extrace or maritime pine bark also improve circulation.
That's all I can think of for now. Good luck :)

As for warning signs, in many cases, the disease creeps up slowly and steals away peripheral, or side vision.
Other signs that might be an indication of glaucoma include an inability to adjust the eye to darkened rooms, difficulty focusing on close work, rainbow colored rings or halos around lights, and frequently needing to change your prescription for glasses.
Anyone can develop glaucoma, but there are higher risk groups.
It's more common among people over 55. People with a family history of the disease and African-Americans are at higher risk, and may develop it earlier.

Only that you wear glasses doesn't mean that you'll have glaucoma. If you have pain in your eyes or see flitters sometimes, or just find your eyes a bit "heavier" than normally, you should immediately go to an eye specialist! (Not to an optometrist only)

You'll need to get to an opthamologist immediately. I waited for about a month before I did something, mainly out of fear and I lost my right eye because of it (not because of high eye pressure, but I do deal with that now, too). My retinal specialist says that a normal eye pressure should be inbetween a 12 and 24, with the optimal pressure in the high teens. Anything else and it begins irreversable damage the optical nerve. If you don't know who to go to, call your local hospital and find out who practices in the area you live. Trust me, don't end up like me. I've lost so much because of partial blindness.

By all means, get checked by your eye doctor. Below is a link to a page on Glaucoma treatment information. Hope it helps.