Causes for Glaucoma

Πιστοποιήσεις

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The causes for glaucoma are not yet known. In most cases the optic nerve is damaged by high intraocular pressureand every existing treatment (medication, laser, surgery) aims to decrease it.

The increase of intraocular pressure is most of the times caused by the obstruction of the outflow of the fluid that is produced inside our eye, the aqueous fluid. Aqueous fluid is continually produced and drained (Image 4). If for some reason its outflow is obstructed (Image 5), then there is an increase of intraocular pressure.

glaucoma4-5
There are, however, other risk factors, whose existence shows a predisposition for glaucoma, such as advanced age, family history, race, myopia and vascular diseases.

High-risk groups for developing glaucoma

A. People over 60:Glaucoma is much more common in the elderly. People over sixty years of age are six times more likely to develop glaucoma.

B. Family members with glaucoma: The most common type of glaucoma, the open angle primary glaucoma, is hereditary. If people in your immediate family have glaucoma, then your risk to develop the disorder is a lot higher than the rest of the population. A positive family history increases risk from four to nine times.

C. African-Americans: Glaucoma is the main cause of blindness in African-Americans. They are six to eight times more likely to develop glaucoma than Caucasians.

D. Asians: People of Asian descent seem to run a higher risk for closed angle glaucoma. Closed angle glaucoma is responsible for less than 10% of all diagnosed cases of glaucoma.

E. Steroid users (cortisone):There are some indications that link steroid use to glaucoma. A study published in the Journal of the Medical American Association in 1997 showed a 40% increase in the frequency of appearance of ocular hypertonia and open angle glaucoma in adults that needed approximately 14 to 35 inhalations of aerosol steroids to control their asthma. This dose is very high and necessary only in severe cases of asthma.

F. Eye injury: An injury in the eye can cause open angle secondary glaucoma. This type of glaucoma is possible to appear immediately after the injury or several years later. Blunt injuries that “blacken” the eye (known as blunt traumas) or injuries that pierce the eye can cause damage to its filtering system, leading to post-traumatic glaucoma. The most common cause is linked to athletic injuries that happen in tennis or boxing.