Glaucoma
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires and is responsible for carrying the images we see to the brain.
It was once thought that high intraocular (inner eye) pressure (IOP) was the main cause of this optic nerve damage. Although IOP is clearly a risk factor, we now know that other factors must also be involved because even people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma.
Types of glaucoma
- open angle glaucoma, or primary open angle glaucoma
- and angle closure glaucoma
Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
This is the most common form of glaucoma. It happens when the eye’s drainage canals become clogged over time. The inner eye pressure (also called intra-ocular pressure. rises because the correct amount of fluid can’t drain out of the eye. With open angle glaucoma, the entrances to the drainage canals are clear and should be working correctly. The clogging problem occurs inside the drainage canals, like the clogging that can occur inside the pipe below the drain in a sink.
Most people have no symptoms and no early warning signs. If open angle glaucoma is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause a gradual loss of vision.
This type of glaucoma develops slowly and sometimes without noticeable sight loss for many years. It usually responds well to medication, especially if caught early and treated.
Angle Closure Glaucoma
This type of glaucoma is also known as acute glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma. It is much more rare and is very different from open angle glaucoma in that the eye pressure usually goes up very fast.
Symptoms vary from person to person and may change over time.
