Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S. It is a group of diseases and disorders that causes progressive vision loss secondary to optic nerve damage. It is almost always a silent and painless loss of vision. Once believed to be caused solely by high eye pressure, more recent research has shown elevated eye pressure to be a risk factor and not a universal origin of the disease. There are some forms of glaucoma that occur absent of elevated pressure. However, first line treatment of glaucoma almost always involves lowering the eye pressure though prescription eye drops. Treatment of the condition is dependent on the mechanism of action. In some cases, surgery is needed to increase fluid outflow. Early detection and intervention can slow or prevent vision loss.