We are frequently asked to explain how glaucoma causes blindness. Glaucomatous damage to the eye is caused when the pressure within the eye is greater than the optic nerve can tolerate. How does the pressure cause blindess? The simple answer is we don’t know exactly, however there are two main theories as to why the damage occurs. Neither theory fully explains how the optic nerve damage occurs in the different types of glaucoma.
The Vascular Theory of Glaucoma
The premise of the vascular theory is that high pressure inside the eye restricts blood flow to the optic nerve causing the optic nerve to slowly die from lack of oxygen and nutrients.
The Mechanical Theory of Glaucoma
Physical damage is the underlying hypothesis of the mechanical theory of glaucoma. It is thought that the high pressure damages the optic nerve fibers.
So Which One Is It?
That’s a good question the leading researchers can make a convincing case for both theories and neither theory, by itself can completely explain how glaucoma damages the eye. In reality both probably play a role in how an eye is damaged by glaucoma.
Categories: FAQ · Glaucoma · Optic Nerve
Tagged: blindness, blood pressure, Glaucoma, hypertension, Optic Nerve
A: This is a great question that gets asked a lot. The pressure inside your eye is completely unrelated to your blood pressure. The intra-ocular pressure system and the blood pressure are completely separate systems and fluid is not exchanged between them. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure you won’t necessarily have glaucoma.
Categories: FAQ · Glaucoma
Tagged: blindness, blood pressure, Glaucoma, hypertension, Optic Nerve
Research funded by Fort Worth based Alcon has found that the over expression of the gene sFRP1 elevates the pressure in an eye, thus greatly increasing a patient’s risk for developing glaucoma. Discovery of a gene responsible for causing glaucoma is great news! Glaucoma is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States. Making the diagnosis of glaucoma in its early stage is often difficult. Early diagnosis is very important to prevent loss of a patient’s peripheral vision. New technology such as scanning laser ophthalmoscopes have made early diagnosis much more reliable, however, a gene test would be great. I hope we will be able to use this technology in our offices soon. If you would like to see the entire article you can find it here.
Technorati Tags: glaucoma, research, eye
Categories: Glaucoma · Optic Nerve · eye
