Glaucoma occurs when the pressure in the eye is too high, which ultimately causes damage to the optic nerve. As a result, blind spots develop. And when the nerve is completely damaged, blindness takes over.
Though there are several types of glaucoma; two are most predominant. Those are open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma.
Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type of glaucoma, making up 90 percent of all diagnoses. This is commonly referred to as primary or chronic glaucoma.
According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF), “’open-angle’ means that the angle where the iris meets the cornea is as wide and open as it should be.” This type of glaucoma affects nearly 3 million Americans.
So what causes this type of glaucoma to occur?
According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), “in the front of the eye is a space called the anterior chamber. A clear fluid flows continuously in and out of the chamber and nourishes nearby tissues. The fluid leaves the chamber at the open angle where the cornea and iris meet. When the fluid reaches the angle, it flows through a spongy meshwork, like a drain, and leaves the eye.”
Open-angle glaucoma, even though the drainage angle is ‘open,’ causes the fluid to pass too slowly through the meshwork drain. As fluid increases, so does pressure, which may damage the optic nerve, and vision loss may result. That’s why controlling internal eye pressure is important.