Glaucoma is an umbrella term for a set of diseases that can damage the eye’s optic nerve, which has the important job of transmitting visual stimuli to the brain. If not treated early enough, glaucoma can lead to vision loss and/or complete blindness. It is almost always caused by increased pressure within the eye from built-up fluid.
What Causes Glaucoma?
All cases of glaucoma are caused by injury to the optic nerve. Almost always, this damage is the result of high intraocular pressure from problems with eye fluid drainage. In properly functioning eyes, the fluid essential to the eye tissue can easily flow from one area to another through a special tissue, the trabecular meshwork, which supports the area between the iris and the cornea. In some cases, this drainage is blocked or extremely slow, which leads to fluid retention.