What Causes High Eye Pressure?
DEC 11, 2013
Question:
What causes high eye pressure?
Answer:
The causes for elevated eye pressures are only partially known. In some individuals, a specific cause can be identified. High eye pressure is always related to some increased resistance or obstruction of the normal outflow of fluid inside the eye. Inside the eye, fluid is constantly being manufactured and has to drain from inside the eye. The pressure will only elevate if the drainage system in the eye is somehow not functioning properly. With injury or trauma, for example, the drainage system can be blocked in the eye, hopefully only temporarily. However, in most individuals with elevated eye pressure and glaucoma, the drainage system appears normal but is not functioning properly. The molecular mechanisms that lead to the failure of the drainage system are not entirely understood.