What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma information?

• I wanted to find out where I could find information on glaucoma. If you don't know what that is (I probably spelled it wrong) it is where you start to lose your vision and where you soon become blind. I found out that today (5/20/08) I am showing signs for glaucoma. The doctor said that he's never seen it in an adolecent before ( I'm in my late teens) but its in my right eye. Because I am near-sighted, and have a family history of glaucoma and diabetes my percentage of having it was at least twenty percent. He said that they would do tests and that if I truly had it then they would help to make it so that I can see a little in my right eye. If I don't have it I would still like to have information on it so that I would know what to expect next time.

• Answer:

  Glaucoma Medical Author: Lawrence J. Schwartz, MD Previous Medical Editor: Leslie J. Schoenfield, MD, PhD Medical Revising Author: Camille Hylton, MD Medical Revising Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR * What is glaucoma? * How common is glaucoma? * What causes glaucoma? * What are the risk factors for glaucoma? * What are the different types of glaucoma? o Open-angle glaucoma o Closed-angle glaucoma * How is glaucoma diagnosed? * How often should someone be checked (screened) for glaucoma? * How is glaucoma treated? o Medications (eye drops) o Laser or surgery * What is in the future for glaucoma? * Glaucoma At Glance * Related WebMD video on glaucoma treatment Glaucoma treatment using laser surgery Doctor to Patient Save Your Sight - Glaucoma Screening Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, PhD Learn the types of glaucoma, and find out if you're at risk.Glaucoma is the term applied to a group of eye diseases that gradually result in loss of vision by permanently damaging the optic nerve, the nerve that transmits visual images to the brain. The leading cause of irreversible blindness, glaucoma often produces no symptoms until it is too late and vision loss has begun. An elevation in the pressure within the eye (the intraocular pressure, or IOP) is generally, but not always, associated with the development of glaucoma, although additional factors are also likely to play a role in its development. The optic nerve fibers inside the eye are damaged, resulting in vision loss that begins in the peripheral fields of vision. Glaucoma usually affects both eyes, but one eye may be more severely affected than the other. Get more information about the types of glaucoma » Top Searched Glaucoma Terms: symptoms, treatment, causes, medications, signs, research, prevention, surgery Doctor to Patient 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. In the United States alone, according to one estimate, over 3 million people have glaucoma. As many as half of the individuals with glaucoma, however, may not know that they have the disease. The reason they are unaware is that glaucoma initially causes no symptoms, and the loss of vision on the side (periphery) is hardly noticeable.