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  • Glaucoma

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  • Closeup side view of a brown eye, highlighting the clear, front window of the eye, the cornea

    Causes of Glaucoma

    Leer en Español:
    ¿Qué causa el glaucoma?
    Written By: Kierstan Boyd
    Reviewed By: J Kevin McKinney MD
    Oct. 09, 2020

    Your eye constantly makes aqueous humor. As new aqueous flows into your eye, the same amount should drain out. The fluid drains out through an area called the drainage angle. This process keeps pressure in the eye (called intraocular pressure or IOP) stable. But if the drainage angle is not working properly, fluid builds up. Pressure inside the eye rises, damaging the optic nerve.

    The optic nerve is made of more than a million tiny nerve fibers. It is like an electric cable made up of many small wires. As these nerve fibers die, you will develop blind spots in your vision. You may not notice these blind spots until most of your optic nerve fibers have died. If all of the fibers die, you will become blind.

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