General Information About Glaucoma
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is a disease where the pressure inside the eye rises above the limit that the optic nerve—which is located at the back of the eye and transmits images to the brain—can handle, causing the nerve cells to die.
The eye continuously produces a clear fluid (aqueous humor) for nourishment. This fluid is normally drained away through channels. When these channels become blocked, the fluid cannot be expelled, accumulates inside, and the pressure rises.
Because the open-angle type of glaucoma does not cause any pain or redness until a large part of the optic nerve has died. Patients do not feel that their field of vision is slowly darkening (narrowing) from the edges until the disease is in an advanced stage.
Open-Angle: It is the most common, painless, and causes blindness over years as the channels slowly block.
Closed-Angle: It occurs as a sudden (acute) attack; the channel closes suddenly, causing unbearable pain in the eye, redness, and nausea, and requires emergency intervention.
During a routine eye exam, eye pressure is measured using air-puff devices (tonometry). When suspected, damage is detected with OCT, which measures the nerve fiber thickness, and visual field tests.
Vision loss caused by glaucoma is permanent; lost vision does not return. The purpose of the eye pressure drops used for life in treatment is to lower the pressure to protect the remaining healthy nerves and prevent total blindness. In cases where drops are insufficient, new drainage pathways for the fluid are created with a laser or surgery (trabeculectomy).
Our health library contents are prepared for informational purposes only and with scientific data available at the time of recording. For all your questions, concerns, diagnosis, or treatment regarding your health, please consult your doctor or a healthcare institution.
