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Glaucoma - Symptom, Causes, Treatment of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a serious disorder caused by increased pressure of fluid within the eyebaH. As the pressure increases, the small blood vessels that supply the optic nerve are compressed, leading to destruction of nerve fibresand gradual loss of vision. Normally, pressure within the eye is kept constant by equal production and drainage of the
clear watery fluid in the front of the eye between the cornea (transparent area in front of the coloured part) and the lens. This fluid is called the aqueous humour and is in two chambers: the posterior chamber between the back of the iris (the coloured part of the eye) and the lens, and the anterior chamber between the front of the iris and pupil and the back of the cornea.
Aqueous humour is produced by tiny glands in the ciliary bodies behind the outer edge of the iris. It flows forwards around the inner rim of the iris through the pupil from the posterior to the anterior chamber. There it drains into small canals where the iris and cornea meet at the outer edge of the iris (called the drainage angle). This slow, continuous flow constantly refreshes the aqueous humour. Anything that slows drainage of the aqueous humour or interferes with its flow can lead to increased pressure within the eyeball - and therefore to glaucoma. There are two main types of glaucoma.
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