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Glaucoma - "The Sneak Thief of Vision"

The term "glaucoma" refers to several eye diseases in which a blockage in the eye's fluid drainage system causes fluid to back up, increasing the intraocular pressure (pressure within the eyeball). If the pressure stays too high for that eye, the optic nerve can be permanently injured. The optic nerve is like a telephone cable transmitting images from the eye to the brain. If it is damaged by pressure, blind areas develop in the visual field that can progress to partial or even total blindness.

OPEN-ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is the most common type. It is particularly dangerous because there are no symptoms -- no pain or other warning that you are losing vision -- until it is too late.

OAG usually occurs after midlife and affects both eyes. Sometimes it runs in families. Glaucoma is not contagious and is not related to cancer. The high pressure in the eyes is not the same as high blood pressure.

NARROW ANGLE GLAUCOMA

The term "glaucoma" refers to several eye diseases in which a blockage in the eye's drainage system causes fluid to back up, increasing the intraocular pressure (pressure within the eyeball). In narrow-angle glaucoma (NAG) -- also called closed-angle or angle-closure glaucoma -- the drainage space is cramped, so when the iris dilates (enlarging the pupil) it sometimes blocks the drainage channels, raising the pressure.

If the pressure rises suddenly, NAG is called "acute"; it is "chronic" if the attacks are milder and repetitive. Either type can cause damage to the optic nerve, the "cable" that transmits images from the eye to the brain. Permanent sight loss can occur in only a few hours (in an acute attack) or over many months or years (if the attacks are chronic).

NAG is much less common than open-angle glaucoma. It can occur in both eyes, though usually at different times and with different degrees of severity. Most patients are middle age or older.