Certified Retinal Angiographer (CRA) Practice Exam

Open-angle glaucoma typically presents as a painless, insidious condition where early vision changes may be absent. In most cases, the problem quietly damages the optic nerve and gradually narrows the peripheral visual field while central vision remains intact for a long time. This why the statement describing it as painless with no vision changes initially best reflects how it behaves in many patients. Acute eye pain and a red eye are not characteristic of open-angle glaucoma; that presentation aligns with acute angle-closure glaucoma. It is also not true that there is no effect on peripheral vision—open-angle glaucoma mainly hits the peripheral field first, then progresses inward. While glaucoma can lead to blindness if untreated, the defining early feature is the painless, gradual peripheral vision loss, making that option the most accurate description.