Optometry in Focus: Glaucoma
Hello lovely internet world and happy Monday! It's been another month, so I guess it's time for another eye post from yours truly. Today's topic? Glaucoma! What is Glaucoma? Okay, let's start out with the basics. Glaucoma is an ocular disease in which the intraocular pressure of the eye (IOP) is too great for the eye itself. This causes progressive damage to the optic nerve , which, if left untreated , may cause blindness . Yikes. What causes increased pressure in the eye? Great question! Believe it or not, the cause of increased IOP cannot always be determined. This is most commonly the case in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG). However, in many other types of glaucoma, the reason for increased pressure is more obvious, and may be the result of trauma, inflammation, damage to the structures that allow aqueous/aqueous humor (fluid in the front portion of the eye) outflow. Types of Glaucoma Because there are various different reasons for increased IOP, ther