Don't Lose Sight of Glaucoma
Don't Lose Sight of Glaucoma What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises, leading to vision loss—or even blindness. This brochure is about open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of the disease. What causes it? At the front of the eye, there is a small space called the anterior chamber. Clear fluid flows in and out of the chamber to bathe and nourish nearby tissues. In glaucoma, for still unknown reasons, the fluid drains too slowly out of the eye. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye rises. Unless this pressure is controlled, it may cause damage to the optic nerve and other parts of the eye and loss of vision. Who is most likely to get it? Nearly 3 million people have glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Although anyone can get glaucoma, some people are at higher risk. They include: •Blacks over the age of 40. •Anyone over the age of 60. •People with a family history of glauc...