Glaucoma

What?

Glaucoma is a disease that can lead to blindness or loss of vision. It is caused by damage to the eye's optic nerve. If detected and treated early, permanent damage can be minimized or even avoided. Once damages occurs, however, it cannot be reversed. Glaucoma can also occur as a result of an injury.

What are some types of glaucoma?

• Open angle glaucoma, or chronic glaucoma, is caused by high pressure in the eye, which damages the optical nerve and impairs vision. Increased eye pressure does not always mean you will get glaucoma, but it does increase your risk.
• Another type of glaucoma is low-tension or normal tension glaucoma, which occurs when the optic nerve is damaged despite seemingly normal pressure levels. Treatment is the same as open angle glaucoma.
• Secondary glaucoma results from being hit in the eye.

What are the symptoms?

At first, there may be no symptoms.
	If glaucoma is untreated, vision slowly worsens. Peripheral vision (to the sides) is usually the first to deteriorate.
If glaucoma remains untreated, people may miss objects to the side and out of the corner of the eye.

Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes.