Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye's major nerve. All types of glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness. To understand how this happens, it helps to know a little about how your eye works.
GlaucomaGlaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the eye's major nerve. All types of glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness. To understand how this happens, it helps to know a little about how your eye works.Light enters your eye through your cornea. This is the clear, dome-shaped tissue in front of the iris—the colored part of your eye.The pupil is the circular "window" in the center of your iris. It opens and closes to let in the right amount of light.The lens is a disk of clear tissue that sits behind your pupil. It focuses light onto the retina at the back of your eye.The retina is a layer of light-sensitive tissue that lines the inside of your eye. It sends signals to your optic nerve, which carries them to your brain.The brain translates these signals into images of what you see around you.Your eye is also filled with a fluid called aqueous [ache-we-us] humor. This fluid normally flows in and out through the eye's drainage system. However, when the fluid doesn't drain properly, the amount of fluid inside your eyes slowly rises.As it rises it increases pressure inside the eye. This pressure damages the optic nerve and eventually causes glaucoma.Experts don't know exactly what causes this pressure build-up in some people. You can get glaucoma even if your fluid pressure is normal. And, some people who have high pressure in their eyes don't get glaucoma.But, you are more likely to get it if:You have a family history of glaucomaYou have diabetes. Diabetes nearly doubles your risk for glaucoma.You have high blood pressureYou have injured your eyeYou're an African American over the age of 40, orYou're over the age of 60Your risk is even higher if you are over 60 and Mexican American.DiagnosisThe best way to prevent glaucoma is to get regular eye exams. This will help your eye care professional find the disease at an earlier stage when you can take steps to reduce the damage.Several tests are done to check for glaucoma. One test is a visual acuity test. This common eye chart test measures your ability to see shapes and objects at various distances.You may also have your retina checked. For this test, you are given eye drops that widen, or dilate your pupil. This allows your healthcare provider to do a close-up exam of your retina to see if it is damaged.Your provider will also check your visual field. This test measures your peripheral vision—or how well you can see on each side without turning your head. Lost peripheral vision can be a sign of glaucoma.Another test is called tonometry. This test measures the fluid pressure inside your eye. There are several ways to do this test. One way is when your provider uses a special device to see what happens when a short puff of air is blown at your eye.TreatmentThere is no cure for glaucoma. If you've already lost vision, you won't be able to get it back. However several treatments can help keep it from getting worse. This is why it's important to find glaucoma in its earliest stages.Treatments include: Medicines, surgery, or a shunt. Some medicines help your eye make less fluid. Other medicines lower the pressure in your eye by helping the fluid drain away. You may get these medicines as eye drops. Ask your healthcare provider to show you how to use the drops, and always take them as directed.Laser or conventional surgery may be used to manage the draining, flow, or amount of fluid in your eye. You may also have a tube shunt placed in your eye during surgery. This tube allows the fluid to move out of your eye, reducing pressure. It will lower pressure in your eye, but it will not make you see better or fix the damage that is already done.Things to rememberWhen you have glaucoma, the fluid inside of your eye builds up and puts pressure on your optic nerve.There is no cure for glaucoma, but several treatments can help keep it from getting worse.Regular eye exams are the only way to make sure you don't have the disease, or that it's caught as early as possible.What we have learnedGlaucoma happens when a buildup of eye fluid places pressure on your retina. True or false? The answer is false. Glaucoma happens when eye fluid places pressure on your optic nerve.If you have difficulty seeing long distances, it may be a sign of glaucoma. True or false? The answer is false. A loss of peripheral or side vision may be a sign of glaucoma.You can have glaucoma even if the fluid pressure inside your eye is normal. True or false? The answer is true. Even some people who have high pressure in their eyes don't get glaucoma.
Online Medical Reviewer: Fraser, Marianne, MSN, RN
Date Last Reviewed: 04/01/2020
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