Priya Desai, MD, MBA

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world and the second leading cause of blindness in the United States.  It is a disease of the optic nerve, the structure that connects the eye to the brain.  Damage to the optic nerve causes blind spots in the vision that usually go unnoticed until the optic nerve is significantly damaged.  Blindness results when the entire nerve is destroyed.A major risk factor for glaucoma is elevated eye pressure.  This is thought to occur from an imbalance between the production and drainage of the clear liquid (called aqueous humor) inside the front portion of the eye. Since the eye is a closed structure, when the drainage of the aqueous humor is less than its rate of production, the pressure in the eye increases causing permanent damage to the optic nerve.

The risk factors for glaucoma are:

• Family history of glaucoma
• Older age
• Elevated eye pressure
• Past eye injury
• Diabetes
• Migraine headaches
• African or Hispanic ancestry

The initial treatment for glaucoma includes eye drops and/or laser.  These treatments lower the eye pressure by either decreasing the production of aqueous humor or by increasing its drainage. Glaucoma surgery is reserved for cases when medications and laser are no longer effective. Glaucoma is a chronic disease which must be monitored throughout a patient’s lifetime.

Vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible because the optic nerve does not regenerate.  As a result, early detection and treatment by your ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) are crucial to prevent permanent vision loss.  A glaucoma screening that only checks the eye pressure is not sufficient.  A comprehensive eye examination is necessary to diagnose glaucoma.  If you or someone you know has risk factors for glaucoma, please schedule an appointment now.