Key Glaucoma Causes: Age, Genetics, Risk Factors and More

There are indeed two main subtypes of glaucoma – primary glaucoma when there is no identifiable glaucoma cause, and also secondary glaucoma, where there is, of course, a known predisposing factor like injury or inflammation.

There are rather several theories about the primary glaucoma causes, and although people do not know all the answers yet, they have identified several key risk factors:

1. Elevated eye pressure (this is not similar to elevated blood pressure)
2. Large optic nerve or perhaps thinning of the optic nerve
3. Closed drainage angle of one’s eye
4. Thinner than average cornea
5. Family history (especially siblings)
6. Race (open-angle glaucoma – African derived and also Hispanic derived race; angle-closure glaucoma – Asian derived race)

Identifying Glaucoma causes

Eye pressure can rather be checked at any eye doctor’s office. Knowing what “normal” eye pressure is not so easy though. The average eye pressure is 16 mm Hg, but few people with average pressure can develop glaucoma, whereas others will not. This is where the other risk factors really do come into play.

Glaucoma treatment is fast developing areas in ophthalmology research and also development and disease management options are improving as time flies on. The idea is to halt or prevent any further deterioration of optic nerve damage.

What Causes Secondary Glaucoma?

There are no doubt two main subtypes of glaucoma – primary glaucoma, when there is no identifiable cause, and also secondary glaucoma, whereby the cause is a secondary factor like trauma, another illness, or perhaps medications. It is important to keep an eye on your overall health and be aware of things that can increase your chances of developing glaucoma.

The basic cause of glaucoma is rather a blockage to the drainage system of one’s eye; something happens to be getting in the way of the eye’s natural drain, and due to this, pressure does build up. This pressure sort of exerts a damaging effect to one’s optic nerve and causes the nerve tissue to really degenerate. This causes irreversible vision loss like blurred or blind spots in the vision, glare, and the inability to see in dimly lit conditions.

Trauma to one’s eye can occur as a result of an injury like an accident that causes the eye or surrounding structures to get negatively affected or as a result of another eye surgery or laser treatment that the person has had. Injuries can  no doubt stretch and also cause scarring to the eye’s drainage system. Sometimes blood or even a foreign body does land in the drainage system and cause the drain to slow down to the point where the amount of fluid that is  being formed in the eye is too much to be handled. People who suffer from an eye injury need to get a test called “gonioscopy” to check the drainage angle. 

Certain diseases affect one’s entire body and can lead to secondary ramifications to the eye. Autoimmune conditions do lead to inflammation in one’s body and can also involve the eye. The inflammation clogs the drainage apparatus, and the pressure does build up. Steroid medications are considered to be a common treatment for autoimmune or inflammatory conditions, and when used for more than a few weeks, they can also rather cause dysfunction of the individual’s eye’s drain. Light sensitivity can of course occur with inflammation in the eye, but usually, there are not any major symptoms. Thus, it is important to get a yearly eye exam, if having a chronic illness.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as other cardiovascular diseases do not cause glaucoma directly, but if any of these conditions is uncontrolled, abnormal blood vessels can indeed grow into the eye and close the drainage system off. The eye pressure can be extremely high in such situations and can lead to loss of vision if not treated quickly.

Conclusion  

In order to reduce or prevent damage to the eye, checkups every year are required.