Glaucoma is a kind of eye disease that can lead to vision loss and blindness. Blindness happens when the optic nerve at the back of the eye is damaged. The optic nerve receives the nerve impulses generated by retinal light and transmits them to the brain, where we recognise these electric signals as vision (an image). Glaucoma is usually linked to a build-up of pressure inside the eye. Increased pressure in the eye, known as intraocular pressure, can damage the optical nerve, which sends images to the brain. If the damage is aggravated, glaucoma may cause permanent vision loss or even total blindness in a few years. There are many different types of glaucoma, but the most common type is called open-angle glaucoma while other types of glaucoma are less common like angle-closure glaucoma and congenital glaucoma. Glaucoma tends to manifest itself in families and most glaucoma sufferers have no early symptoms or pain. That’s why 50% of the people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it. Scientists aren’t sure what causes the most common types of glaucoma, but many people with glaucoma have high eye pressure (intraocular pressure). Glaucoma is usually treated with eye drops, although laser treatment and surgery can also be done. Most cases can be controlled well with these treatments to prevent further loss of vision. Since Glaucoma usually causes no symptoms early in its onset, a regular eye examination is important to rule out the condition.
