Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
The most common form of glaucoma -- a gradual, usually painless rise in eye pressure that slowly damages the optic nerve, often with no symptoms until vision loss has already occurred.
Book a Glaucoma EvaluationHave risk factors but no symptoms?
This is exactly how open angle glaucoma usually presents -- silently. Age over 40, a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, or high blood pressure all raise your risk, regardless of how your vision currently feels.
Noticing gradual loss of side vision?
Peripheral vision loss that you've slowly adapted to without realizing is a hallmark of more advanced open angle glaucoma. An optic nerve and visual field evaluation can confirm how much has been affected and stop further progression.
What Is It?
Primary open angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma, accounting for the majority of cases worldwide. It develops when the eye’s natural drainage system gradually becomes less efficient, causing intraocular pressure to rise slowly over months to years. This elevated pressure progressively damages the optic nerve, the structure that carries visual information from the eye to the brain.
Because the rise in pressure is gradual and usually painless, and because peripheral vision is lost slowly enough that the brain compensates for it, most people have no idea anything is wrong until a significant portion of vision is already gone — and that loss is permanent. This is precisely why screening is recommended even for people who feel their vision is completely normal.
Risk Factors
- Age over 40, with risk increasing with age
- Family history of glaucoma
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Elevated intraocular pressure on prior checks
- Thinner-than-average corneas
Symptoms
- Usually none in early stages
- Gradual loss of peripheral (side) vision
- Tunnel vision in advanced, untreated cases
- Vision loss is typically only noticed once significant damage has occurred
Treatment
- Pressure-Lowering Eye Drops: First-line treatment for most patients, used daily to keep eye pressure controlled.
- Laser Trabeculoplasty: A quick outpatient laser procedure that improves fluid drainage from the eye, used for select cases.
- Regular Monitoring: Ongoing IOP, optic nerve, and visual field checks to confirm the condition remains stable.
- Surgery: Reserved for advanced cases not adequately controlled with drops or laser treatment.
When monitoring needs to be more frequent
Open angle glaucoma is rarely a same-day emergency, but certain situations call for closer follow-up rather than routine annual checks.
- Eye pressure readings that continue to rise despite treatment
- New or worsening peripheral vision loss noticed between visits
- Missed doses of prescribed eye drops over an extended period
Related Conditions
Frequently Asked Questions
Can vision lost to glaucoma be restored?
Why is glaucoma called the "silent thief of sight"?
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