Various conditions can cause glaucoma

Glaucoma is damage to your optic nerve (vision) caused by increased eye pressure. The optic nerve is the nerve that delivers visual information to the brain from the human eye. If these nerves are damaged, your ability to see will decrease even further. As it turns out, this eye disease has various causes and risk factors behind it. Come on, learn what causes glaucoma below.

What causes high eye pressure?

Eyeball pressure — or intraocular pressure — that is too high is a major factor in glaucoma. The condition when the pressure on the eyeball is too high is also known as ocular hypertension. This condition has the potential to cause damage to the optic nerve which can lead to glaucoma.

To keep the intraocular pressure within normal limits, the fluid in the eye must be removed through the drainage angle in the eye. The drainage angle is located at the point where the iris and cornea meet.

However, sometimes the eyeball fluid is overproduced. Alternatively, the drainage system in the eye is not working properly. As a result, more fluid in the eye continues to be produced and cannot be expelled from the eye. Eyeball pressure also increases.

Just imagine like a balloon filled with water continuously. The more water, the higher the pressure in it.

Gradually, eye pressure that is too high will press on the optic nerve, which is located at the back of the eye. As a result, the optic nerve is damaged due to decreased blood flow to the compressed eye nerve, and various symptoms of glaucoma develop.

This disorder in the circulation of eye fluid can be divided into 2 common types, namely:

• Open-angle glaucoma: when the drainage angle of the iris and cornea is open, but the spongy tissue inside is blocked. As a result, the eye fluid cannot be absorbed and accumulates in the eye.
• Closed angle glaucoma: when the drainage angle is closed and fluid cannot be wasted from the eye at all. This condition is an emergency situation.

Based on information from the Glaucoma Research Foundation, the normal range of eye pressure is generally between 10-20 mmHg. When this pressure is too low, the eyes will be too soft. Meanwhile, if it is too high, the eyes will be too hard so that it becomes the main factor for glaucoma.

However, it is possible that the eyeball with normal pressure can get glaucoma. This condition is called normal pressure glaucoma. The exact cause of this condition is not known, but experts believe that normal pressure glaucoma is associated with the nerves of the eye which are much more sensitive than normal conditions.

In addition to the types of glaucoma above, glaucoma is also differentiated based on the cause of its occurrence. The two types are primary and secondary.

Primary causes of glaucoma

Primary glaucoma is increased pressure on the eyeball with no known cause. In other words, doctors and experts have not found any condition or abnormality in the body that can cause high eye pressure.

However, experts believe there are several factors that play a role in causing glaucoma in the eye. The main cause of primary glaucoma is blockage of the drainage angle of the fluid in the eyeball, while the eyeball will continue to produce fluid. As a result, fluids are allowed to accumulate in the eyeball and are not properly disposed of into the drainage angle.

Although it is not certain what causes the drainage angle to clog, some experts believe that this is genetic, aka inherited. This puts you at a greater risk of developing glaucoma if you have the same condition in your family.

Secondary causes of glaucoma

Diseases or other health conditions that have existed in glaucoma patients before, can actually trigger an increase in eye pressure. This phenomenon is called secondary glaucoma, which is when high eye pressure is triggered by a disease or other pre-existing health problem.

This situation is certainly different from primary glaucoma because the doctor can detect what is the cause behind the glaucoma disease. Although slightly different, the increase in eye pressure and the impact of optic nerve damage in both types of glaucoma are equally bad.

The following are some of the diseases and health conditions that can cause glaucoma:

1. Diabetes

People with diabetes are prone to developing diabetic retinopathy, which is the rupture of the blood vessel behind the eye (retina). Diabetic retinopathy increases the risk of glaucoma because the blood vessels swell unnaturally and can block the drainage angle in the eye.

Diabetics are also prone to developing a more specific type of glaucoma, called neovascular glaucoma. New blood vessels that develop as a result of glaucoma appear in the iris, the colored part of the eye. These blood vessels have the potential to block the flow of eye fluid, thereby increasing eye pressure.

2. Uveitis

Uveitis is swelling and inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye. Inflammation of the uvea can also be a cause of glaucoma. How can?

In fact, the relationship of uveitis to increased eye pressure is complicated. However, generally this condition can result in blockage of drainage due to debris from the inflammation of the eye. In the long term, this inflammation can also cause scar tissue to block the flow of fluid in the eye.

3. Use of corticosteroid drugs

Before using certain eye drops, you should consult an ophthalmologist first. The reason is, not all over-the-counter eye medications are safe for the eyes. One of them is eye drops containing corticosteroids, which have the potential to cause glaucoma.

Corticosteroid drugs are reported to cause increased eye pressure and pupil dilation. If this condition persists, you are at risk of developing glaucoma.

Corticosteroid itself consists of various types. Some of these include dexamethasone and prednisolone. Make sure you use it as directed by your doctor.

4. Eye surgery

Apparently, eye surgery can also be one of the causes of glaucoma. This phenomenon is also known as iatrogenic.

One of the culprits behind iatrogenic is retinal surgery. During the surgical procedure, the surgeon may apply silicone oil or gas to the eye. These substances have the potential to increase pressure on the eyes.

What are the factors that increase a person's risk of developing glaucoma?

Glaucoma can happen to anyone. However, there are several factors that play a role in increasing a person's risk of developing this eye disease.

Previously, it is important for you to know that having one or more of the risk factors below does not mean that you will definitely get glaucoma. Risk factors are simply conditions that can increase a person's chances of developing a disease.

Here are the risk factors that could be the culprits behind glaucoma:

• Are aged 40 years and over
• Be Asian, African, or Hispanic
• Have a family member with glaucoma
• Have poor blood flow to the eyes
• Have a thinning cornea and optic nerve
• Have had an eye injury, such as being hit by a blunt object or being exposed to chemicals
• Have a severe eye infection
• Have nearsighted or near-sighted eyes

By understanding the risk factors that you may have, you can take glaucoma prevention steps according to your condition.

Knowing the causes and risk factors can also help you find out which type of glaucoma treatment is right for you, so that disease progression can be minimized.