Library · Disease
Glaucoma
Make it clearer
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve in one or both eyes; that nerve carries the image from the eye to the brain. When that nerve is damaged, visual field is lost, meaning how much of the world you can take in at once.
The eye has its own fluid circuit. The ciliary body makes aqueous humor continuously, and the eye drains it, almost all of it through the trabecular meshwork, the outlet where that fluid escapes. If that outlet grows more resistant, intraocular pressure rises and the optic nerve is damaged. It is a sink taking in water with the drain half clogged.
There are several types of glaucoma, and the most common is open-angle. And there are two things worth keeping straight: not everyone with high pressure develops glaucoma, and glaucoma with normal pressure also exists.
In brief
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve in one or both eyes and, with it, the visual field.
The ciliary body makes aqueous humor nonstop and the eye drains most of it through the trabecular meshwork; if that outflow meets more resistance, intraocular pressure rises and damages the nerve.
It is a sink taking in water with the drain half clogged.
The most common type is open-angle; not everyone with high pressure develops glaucoma, and glaucoma with normal pressure exists.
Sources (2)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineGlaucoma, MedlinePlusPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingOpen Angle Glaucoma, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated