How does glaucoma cause blindness?
Dr. Katz: There are several different types of glaucoma, but each type damages the optic nerve, the nerve that carries images to the brain. The damage is thought to occur from increasing pressure on the optic nerve. A fluid called aqueous humor needs to drain through channels located at the front of the eye. When a person has glaucoma, the fluid doesn’t drain properly and it builds up, increasing pressure on the optic nerve and causing damage that increasingly limits sight. Loss of vision from glaucoma is a painless, slow process, with the peripheral vision slowly reducing until finally the central vision is lost. Because glaucoma is painless and slow, people don’t know they have it. If untreated, the optic nerve is damaged so badly that blindness results. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent blindness. Q: Are there ever any warning signs of glaucoma? Dr. Katz: For most people with glaucoma, there will be no warning signals until much of the eye has been damaged and treatment is n
