Types of Glaucoma
The drainage angle in the eye is the space between the cornea and the iris in the anterior chamber. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma that occurs when too much aqueous is produced and doesn’t drain properly. When the liquid builds up, the intraocular pressure begins to rise and lead to irreversible vision loss.
Sometimes, the angle between the cornea and iris can narrow or close altogether. When this happens, the aqueous humor becomes trapped in the anterior chamber, unable to drain. This is known as acute-angle glaucoma.
Symptoms can occur suddenly, causing a rapid spike in intraocular pressure, which is very dangerous for your vision. Unlike other types of glaucoma, acute-angle glaucoma causes severe symptoms, including:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Eye pain
- Blurry vision
- Intense glare or halos around lights
- Excessive tears
An acute angle-closure attack is considered an eye emergency. If you experience these symptoms, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
In some cases, the optic nerve can sustain damage even when the eye is functioning normally. Normal-tension glaucoma is difficult to manage as the eye maintains average intraocular pressure.
The cause of normal-tension remains unknown, as the optic nerve becomes damaged with relatively low pressure levels.
