What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease of the major nerve of vision, called the optic nerve. The optic nerve receives light from the retina and transmits impulses to the brain that we perceive as vision. Glaucoma is characterized by a particular pattern of progressive damage to the optic nerve that generally begins with a subtle loss of side vision (peripheral vision). If glaucoma is not diagnosed and treated, it can progress to loss of central vision and blindness. Glaucoma is usually, but not always, associated with elevated pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure). Generally, it is this elevated eye pressure that leads to damage of the eye (optic) nerve. In some cases, glaucoma may occur in the presence of normal eye pressure. This form of glaucoma is believed to be caused by poor regulation of blood flow to the optic nerve. How common is glaucoma? Worldwide, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness. In fact, as many as 6 million individuals are blind in both eyes from this disease.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that cause progressive damage of the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain. If left untreated, most types of glaucoma progress (without warning nor obvious symptoms to the patient) towards gradually worsening visual damage and may lead to blindness. Once incurred, visual damage is mostly irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the “silent blinding disease” or the “sneak thief of sight”. Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. It is estimated that 4.5 million persons globally are blind due to glaucoma[1] and that this number will rise to 11.2 million by 2020[2]. It is noteworthy that due to the silent progression of the disease – at least in its early stages – up to 50% of affected persons in the developed countries are not even aware of having glaucoma[3]. This number may rise to 90% in underdeveloped parts of the world. There are several types of glauc
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steal sight without warning. In the early stages of the disease, there may be no symptoms. Experts estimate that half of the people affected by glaucoma may not know they have it. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires. It is responsible for carrying images from the eye to the brain. There is no cure for glaucoma—yet. However, medication or surgery can slow or prevent further vision loss. The appropriate treatment depends upon the type of glaucoma among other factors. Early detection is vital to stopping the progress of the disease. It was once thought that high pressure within the eye, also known as intraocular pressure or IOP, is 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” levels of pressure can experience vision loss from glaucoma. A
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. Normally in glaucoma there is slow damage to the optic nerve, whereby nerve fibres are lost, resulting in loss in the field of vision (blind spots). The loss of nerve fibres is so slow and small, there normally aren’t any symptoms. Therefore regular eye tests are important to help diagnose glaucoma early. Glaucoma is more common with advancing age. It has been estimated that around 1.4% of the population in England and Wales has glaucoma. Family history also plays a part in glaucoma: having a first degree relative with it, increases its likelihood. Those over 40 years old, with a first degree relative with glaucoma, are entitled to a free annual NHS Sight Test. Glaucoma can be linked to a high eye pressure (intraocular pressure), but not always. Conversely, having a high eye pressure does not mean you have glaucoma. Other risk factors for glaucoma include having an African Caribbean background, myopia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hyperten
