What is Glaucoma?

Most people have heard of this serious, blinding eye disease. But what exactly is it? How does it cause you to lose your vision? Does glaucoma hurt? Are there ANY symptoms before vision loss occurs?

Let's keep it simple! You can sum up the disease of glaucoma in three simple phrases:
HIGH EYE PRESSURE --> OPTIC NERVE DAMAGE ---> LOSS OF VISUAL FIELD (SIDE VISION)

There are many different subtypes of glaucoma but we will be discussing the most common type here: Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. There is no specific reason WHY some people get this type of glaucoma but we do know there are certain risk factors that make them more likely to develop the disease. Some of these risk factors include age over 50, a high amount of near-sightedness, and family history.

So let's break down exactly what's happening. Inside your eye there is a fluid called aqueous fluid. During every eye exam, we measure the pressure (called intraocular pressure, or IOP) of this fluid in mmHg and the average "normal" measurement is about 15 mmHg. Patients with glaucoma usually have an eye pressure higher than 21 mmHg (some people develop glaucoma with a "normal" eye pressure and we call this Normal Tension Glaucoma). This elevated eye pressure is almost ALWAYS completely PAINLESS but puts too much pressure on the optic nerve which sits at the back of the eye. The optic nerve can't function optimally with too much pressure constantly pressing in on it! Slowly but surely, the optic nerve tissue becomes damaged. Every single bit of the optic nerve is responsible for vision somewhere in your visual field. The areas of the optic nerve that become damaged FIRST in glaucoma are responsible for your far peripheral visual field. This makes it hard to notice when you first begin to lose vision from glaucoma! Vision loss from glaucoma happens very slowly but if it gets to the point where you notice it, much of your vision has been lost, and WILL NOT COME BACK. At the end of the disease process, your central vision is lost and this is devastating. Your optic nerve is brain tissue therefore cannot and will not regenerate. Once your vision is gone, it's gone! This reinforces the importance of yearly eye exams to measure your eye pressure and the overall health and function of your optic nerves.

So remember, we like to keep things simple:
HIGH EYE PRESSURE --> OPTIC NERVE DAMAGE ---> LOSS OF VISUAL FIELD (SIDE VISION)

Come see us for your yearly eye exam today!