Determining Extent of Damage
For most clinicians today, that means obtaining objective structural data by scanning the retina and optic nerve using optical coherence tomography, as well as performing visual fields to get a more subjective measure of visual performance.
Open-angle glaucoma. Normal-tension glaucoma. Angle-closure glaucoma. Pigmentary glaucoma.
Whether you develop glaucoma depends on the amount of pressure your optic nerve can handle — and this amount is different for each person. For most people, eye pressure above 21 is higher than normal. Getting regular dilated eye exams can help your eye doctor figure out what level of eye pressure is normal for you.
Normal eye pressure ranges from 12-21 mm Hg, and eye pressure of greater than 21 mm Hg is considered higher than normal. When the IOP is higher than normal but the person does not show signs of glaucoma, this is referred to as ocular hypertension. High eye pressure alone does not cause glaucoma.
stages: stage 0 (normal visual field), stage I (early), stage II (moderate), stage III (advanced), stage IV (severe), and stage V (end-stage).
If undetected and untreated, glaucoma first causes peripheral vision loss and eventually can lead to blindness. By the time you notice vision loss from glaucoma, it's too late.
Stage 4 (End-Stage) Glaucoma – This occurs when there is little to no healthy eye tissue left, and vision is increasingly limited. While blindness during end-stage glaucoma isn't a certainty, the risk is significantly elevated when this stage is reached.
Glaucoma is a slowly progressing problem. On an average, untreated Glaucoma takes around 10-15 years to advance from early damage to total blindness. With an IOP (Intraocular Pressure) of 21-25 mmHg it takes 15 yrs to progress, an IOP of 25-30 mmHg around seven years and pressure more than 30 mmHg takes three years.
Defining advanced glaucoma
This Glaucoma Staging Codes (GSC) categorisation considers glaucoma to be advanced if there is evidence of glaucomatous optic disc and visual field (VF) loss in both upper and lower hemifields and/or a defect encroaching within 5° of fixation.
Exfoliation glaucoma
This type of glaucoma can progress faster than primary open-angle glaucoma, and often causes higher eye pressure. This means that it's especially important for people who are at risk to get regular eye exams to protect their vision.
Even with treatment ,15% to 20% of patients become blind in at least one eye in 15 to 20 years of follow-up. In a recent study, Peters et al. found that at the last visit before death, 42.2% of treated patients were blind unilaterally and 16.4% bilaterally.
Results: Overall, glaucoma materials were written at a mean grade level of 10.33 (SD: 2.02). Across 6 grade level readability instruments, these patient education materials were written above the recommended seventh grade reading level (P<0.0001 for all).
According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, the range for normal pressure is 12 – 22 mm Hg. When the pressure exceeds 22 mm Hg, that usually indicates an abnormal glaucoma test. People with pressure around 16 mm Hg or higher may also be at risk for normal tension glaucoma.
Absolutely. The aim of treating patients with glaucoma is for them to be able to maintain their quality of life and live as normally as possible. Patients with glaucoma have a normal life expectancy and, with treatment, can carry out activities as they did before diagnosis.
At this time, there is no cure for glaucoma. However, with early detection and regular treatment from an eye doctor, glaucoma can usually be successfully managed to allow people living with glaucoma to live a normal, active life.
One of the major risk factors is eye pressure. An abnormality in the eye's drainage system can cause fluid to build up, leading to excessive pressure that causes damage to the optic nerve.
The Blue Mountains Eye Study found an age‐standardised all case mortality of 24.3% in persons with glaucoma and 23.8% in those without glaucoma nine years after initial evaluation. In our study, 29.8% of our patients with glaucoma died within 10 years of diagnosis; most as a consequence of vascular disease.
Interocular pressure which is the pressure in your eyes is greater than 22 mm Hg it is considered higher than normal. This can cause ocular hypertension. While ocular hypertension is not an eye disease in itself, it is an indication that you could develop glaucoma (see symptoms).
Central corneal thickness is a non-modifiable risk factor and the most robust factor in the development of glaucoma. It is the most significant fact in patients with high IOPs.
The optic nerve may sustain damage when your IOP is consistently above 27 mm Hg. You typically require medical treatment to lower pressure levels when this happens. Despite higher pressure causing optic nerve damage, some people can have IOP consistently higher than 21 mm Hg without any complications.