Symptoms & Diagnosis
The optic nerve is made up of many nerve fibers that carry images to the brain. It's like an electric cable containing numerous wires. When glaucoma damages the optic nerve fibers, blind spots develop. If the entire nerve is destroyed, blindness results.
Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma in the United States. Typically, open-angle glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages, and vision remains normal.
As the optic nerve becomes more damaged, blank spots begin to appear in your field of vision. You typically won't notice these blank spots in your day-to-day activities until the optic nerve is significantly damaged and these spots become large. If all the optic nerve fibers die, blindness results.
> See what vision with glaucoma looks like
Some people are born with the iris (the colored part of the eye) too close to the drainage angle. In these eyes, which are often small and farsighted, the iris can be sucked into the drainage angle and block it completely. Since the fluid cannot exit the eye, pressure inside the eye builds rapidly and causes an acute closed-angle attack.
Regular eye examinations by your Eye M.D. are the best way to detect glaucoma. There are five common tests for glaucoma: tonometry and ophthalmoscopy are considered more routine, but the visual field test, pachymetry and gonioscopy are also used in diagnosis.
Some of these tests may not be necessary for everyone. These tests may need to be repeated on a regular basis to keep track of any changes in your condition.
Treatments & More
For additional information about glaucoma, including how it is treated, visit the glaucoma section of EyeCare America, an EyeSmart Campaign partner.
Last reviewed and updated in February 2009,
by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Related video: Ophthalmologist Andrew Iwach, MD, discusses what he would do if he had high eye pressure.
