Glaucoma

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve, which is the part of the eye that sends the images that we see to the brain.

The optic nerve consists of many nerve fibers, such as an electrical cable containing many filaments.
When the pressure inside the eye increases, some fibers of the optic nerve can be damaged, causing the appearance of blind spots.

These blurry spots are usually not detected until damage to the optic nerve is significant. If the destruction of the optic nerve is complete, blindness occurs.

Early detection and treatment by the ophthalmologist are essential to prevent optic nerve damage and blindness caused by glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, especially in the elderly. But vision loss due to glaucoma can generally be prevented if it is treated in a preventative way.