Glaucoma is a group of disorders characterised by optic neuropathy due, in the majority of patients, to raised intraocular pressure (IOP). It is now recognised that a minority of patients with raised IOP do not have glaucoma and vice versa.
also characterized by atrophy of the optic nerve head;
usually associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) due to increased production or decreased outflow of aqueous humor. Aqueous humor is produced by the epithelial cells of the ciliary body. It is secreted into the posterior eye chamber and transferred through the pupil into the anterior eye chamber. The anterior chamber angle (iridocorneal angle) contains a trabecular meshwork through which the aqueous humor diffuses into Schlemm's canal (scleral venous sinus) and subsequently into episcleral and conjunctival veins.
Acute angle closure glaucoma is associated with hypermetropia, where as primary open-angle glaucoma is associated with myopia
In acute angle-closure glaucoma (AACG) there is a rise in IOP secondary to an impairment of aqueous outflow. Factors predisposing to AACG include:
an ocular emergency that requires immediate treatment to prevent blindness:
Features