World Glaucoma Week - March 6-12, 2022

What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an eye condition where your optic nerve is damaged by the pressure of the fluid inside your eye.

This may be because your eye pressure is higher than normal, or because of a weakness to your optic nerve.

What parts of the eye does glaucoma affect?

The anterior chamber of your eye (the inside of the front of your eye) is filled with a watery fluid called the aqueous humour. This fluid creates pressure in your eye, which keeps it healthy and in the right shape. Your eye pressure is known as your intraocular pressure (IOP) and it isn’t connected to your blood pressure in any way. The aqueous fluid, which is inside your eye, is different from your tears.

Usually, aqueous fluid drains away at the same rate as it’s produced to keep your eye at the correct pressure. The normal range of eye pressure is roughly around 10 to 21mmHg (mmHg stands for millimetres of mercury and is the measurement used for eye pressure).
 
Usually, aqueous fluid drains away at the same rate as it’s produced to keep your eye at the correct pressure. The normal range of eye pressure is roughly around 10 to 21mmHg (mmHg stands for millimetres of mercury and is the measurement used for eye pressure). If the fluid cannot leave your eye as quickly as it’s produced, your eye pressure will build up. This pressure can cause damage to your optic nerve at the point where it leaves the back of your eye. This damage is called glaucoma.
 
Your optic nerve is important for sight because it’s the pathway for the signals from your retina, the light sensitive cells at the back of your eye, to your brain. This pathway allows you to “see” the world around you. This condition is a silent condition and it can only be detected by having regular eye examinations done by an eye specialist.

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