What controls the pressure in the eye?
The pressure in the eye is determined by the balance of the fluid (called aqueous humor) coming into the eye and the fluid leaving the eye by the normal drainage channels (called the trabecular meshwork). The eye fluid (aqueous humor) is produced by the ciliary body, which lies behind the iris (the colored part of the eye). The fluid then passes forward through the pupil and exits the eye by a sieve-like drainage system (the trabecular meshwork) in the angle between the cornea and the iris. Why is eye pressure high in glaucoma? For practical purposes, almost all glaucomas result from a decreased ability of fluid to leave the eye; the drainage mechanism is not working properly. A commonly used analogy is a faucet and a drain. In glaucoma the faucet is producing the correct amount of fluid, but the drain is not working properly so too much fluid accumulates within the eye and the pressure rises. Open-angle glaucoma versus angle-closure glaucoma Glaucoma can be separated into two categori
