14 Possible Symptoms of Papilledema

Papilledema is a common health condition affecting the eye that causes swelling and inflammation of the optic disc and nerve. It occurs equally across all ages, and it can affect you at any point during your life with certain risk factors that can increase your risk of developing the condition (and some other health conditions such as Chiari malformation that can be associated with papilledema by default).

The condition can lead to a considerable amount of pain and discomfort, and it might even lead to vision loss – especially if the condition is left untreated or undiagnosed. If you show any symptoms of papilledema, make an appointment with your ophthalmologist to establish the cause of the condition and start treatment. The condition is considered treatable with medication and sometimes surgery, but only if and when the symptoms can be diagnosed early by an expert.

Here are 8 possible symptoms of papilledema that you should be aware of.

1. Optic Headaches

Headaches are often one of the first presenting symptoms when you might have papilledema, and it’s also one of the most common that the majority of diagnosed cases will experience. Always take note if you experience chronic headaches or headaches that seem to last for a long time and make an appointment with your doctor as soon as you notice the first symptoms. Even though people normally associate headaches with things that aren’t the eyes, such as a routine hangover or tension in the neck, sometimes it can be due to conditions like papilledema.

There are some symptoms that will set a headache that happens due to papilledema apart from others; migraines are often worsened by light, while this isn’t the case with a papilledema headache. The pain felt during a headache of this type is usually located around the eyes, and might come with associated optic pressure at the same time.