 |
| Trabecular meshwork |
Glaucoma is a common disease, which causes loss of vision in individuals affected by the condition. Glaucoma develops when the pressure of the fluid inside the eye gets too high. Fluid enters the eye at a structure called the ciliary body and exits the eye at a structure called the trabecular meshwork.
In glaucoma there exists a problem with fluid draining normally from the eye. When pressure inside the eye builds up, damage to the optic nerve develops where the nerve enters the back of the eye. Several forms of glaucoma exist, and each is treated differently. Patients with a family history of glaucoma are at increased risk for the development of this condition.
Other factors that increase a person's risk of developing glaucoma include increasing age, diabetes mellitus, and African-American ancestry. Because the early symptoms of glaucoma are often not apparent, an individual who has glaucoma may be unaware that a problem exists until it is too late to recover lost vision. In order to effectively treat glaucoma, regular ophthalmologic examinations (which may detect glaucoma in its early stages) are necessary. |
