GLAUCOMA
DEFINITION
Glaucoma can be regarded as a group of diseases that have as a common end-point a characteristic optic neuropathy and It's often associated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye.
MAGNITUDE
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world that robs some 60 million people worldwide of their sight.
This disorder is the most common cause of irreversible loss of vision in the world. The number of persons estimated to be blind as a result of primary glaucoma is 4.5 million, accounting for slightly more than twelve per cent (12%) of all global blindness.
TYPES
In glaucoma, eye pressure plays a role in damaging the delicate nerve fibers of the optic nerve. Damage very often occurs when the intraocular pressure (IOP) – the main risk factor for glaucoma – is too high. This happens, when the drainage of the Aqueous Humour - a watery fluid that fills the space between cornea and lens - is blocked. This build-up pressure at the back of the eye damages the optic nerve and causes irreversible vision loss.
When Glaucoma first strikes, it typically doesn't cause pain or noticeable symptoms. Over time the fluid pressure in the eye (intraocular pressure) quietly increases, slowly destroying optic nerve cells, narrowing vision to an ever-shrinking tunnel.
Risk factors are those limited to the onset of disease and those associated with progressive worsening in already established disease. The primary risk factors are age - as the incidence of POAG rises every year over the age 60 - and genetic predisposition.
There are several types of glaucoma, however, the two most common are primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), having a slow and insidious onset, and angle closure glaucoma (ACG), which is less common and tends to be more acute.
AVAILABLE TREATMENTS
The aim is to improve upon today’s glaucoma medications. With very limited effective medication available in the market, these drugs have drawbacks, they are unpleasant for the patient and often not adequate. Their effect is temporary and they only halt glaucoma’s progression rather than reversing it.
The reason why the disease process is not successfully interrupting is the lack of knowledge of how pressure within the eye is regulated. It's a complex process, and not yet fully well understood.
The pipes change in ways that aren't fully understood in glaucoma. For instance, their inner linings have fewer cells than normal. And they're not as soft or leaky as they should be.