Glaucoma destroys your healthy vision by damaging the optic nerve at the back of the eye. The optic nerve is what sends information from your eyes to your brain, telling it what you are seeing.
The eyeball is similar in size to a ping-pong ball. A thick, jelly-like substance (called the vitreous) fills most of the eyeball to give it shape. The eye also makes a thin fluid (called aqueous humor) that circulates and drains out through channels located at the front of the eye.
In Glaucoma for reasons not quite known, the thin fluid does not drain as quickly as it should. This causes a pressure build-up within the eyeball, which can damage the optic nerve.
Treatment for glaucoma focuses on lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) to a level the ophthalmologist thinks is unlikely to cause further optic nerve damage. This level is sometimes known as the "target pressure." That level differs from individual to individual, and one person's "target pressure" may change during the course of his or her lifetime.
If you have glaucoma, your ophthalmologist may prescribe medication to lower your intraocular pressure (IOP). For some people, surgery might be the best treatment for glaucoma. Or, your ophthalmologists may first try medication to lower your IOP before suggesting surgery.
There are several different types of surgery for glaucoma. The kind of surgery that you and your ophthalmologist decide is right for you depends on many factors, including the type and severity of your glaucoma, and other eye problems or health conditions.
Glaucoma surgery may be performed using a laser (a concentrated beam of light) or conventional surgical instruments.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the U.S., and the single most common cause of blindness among African-Americans. Almost 80,000 Americans are blind from glaucoma, and another million are at risk for vision loss because they don't know they have it.
Glaucoma is often called the "sneak thief" of sight because the most common type causes no symptoms until vision is already damaged. That's why the best way to prevent vision loss from glaucoma is to know your risk factors and have medical eye examinations at appropriate intervals.
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