Glaucoma Overview

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that can cause vision loss and damage to the optic nerve. Furthermore, possible treatments include eye drops and surgery.

In addition, glaucoma is relatively common. It is most likely to affect white people after the age of 60 and Black and Hispanic people after the age of 40.

Moreover, the symptoms of the most common type — open-angle glaucoma — start slowly and are hard to notice. However, an ophthalmologist may detect changes during an eye test.

Ultimately, there is no cure for glaucoma, but treatment can slow or stop its progression.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma refers to a buildup of pressure within the eye that causes damage to the optic nerve.

Furthermore, the front part of the eye contains a clear fluid, the aqueous humor. This fluid, in addition, nourishes the eye and gives it its shape. Moreover the eye constantly produces this fluid and drains it away through a drainage system.

However, if a person has glaucoma, the fluid drains too slowly out of the eye. Consequently, when this happens, fluid builds up, and pressure inside the eye rises.

If, on the other hand, a person does not manage this pressure, it may damage the optic nerve and other parts of the eye, leading to vision loss.

In general, glaucoma usually affects both eyes, although it may affect one eye more severely than the other.

Causes and Risk Factors

Experts do not know exactly what causes glaucoma; however, some health conditions increase the risk.

For instance, if a person has primary glaucoma, there is no identifiable cause. On the other hand, if they have secondary glaucoma, there is an underlying cause, such as a tumor, diabetes, hyperthyroidism and advanced tumor, diabetes, hypothyroidism, an advanced cataract, or inflammation.

Risk factors for glaucoma include the following:

  • A family history of glaucoma
  • For white people, being over 60 years old
  • Having diabetes or another underlying health condition
  • For Black and Hispanic people, being over 40 years old
  • Severe myopia (nearsightedness)
  • Having an eye injury or condition
  • Previous eye surgery
  • Severe myopia (nearsightedness)
  • Taking corticosteroid medication, especially as eye drops
  • Genetic factors, which can lead to childhood glaucoma
  • High blood pressure

Types of Glaucoma

There are several types of glaucoma, including:

  • Open-angle glaucoma
  • Closed-angle glaucoma
  • Low-tension glaucoma
  • Pigmentary glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma

Also known as chronic glaucoma, this is in fact, the most common type. It develops slowly, and consequently, a person may not notice any symptoms, even if slight vision loss occurs.

Furthermore, many people with this type of glaucoma do not seek medical help until permanent damage has already occurred.

Closed-angle glaucoma

This is also known as acute angle-closure glaucoma. Firstly, It can start suddenly with pain and rapid vision loss.

Moreover, as the symptoms are noticeable, the individual will usually seek medical help, resulting in prompt treatment. Consequently, this can prevent permanent damage.

Low-tension glaucoma

This is a rarer form of glaucoma in which, despite the fact, eye pressure is not higher than the normal range but still causes damage that affects the optic nerve.

Experts know little about this condition However, but it might be due to reduced blood supply to the optic nerve.

Pigmentary glaucoma

This is a type of open-angle glaucoma that typically develops during early or middle adulthood.

Specifically, it involves changes in the pigment cells that give color to the iris. In pigmentary glaucoma, consequently, the pigment cells disperse throughout the eye.

Furthermore, if the cells build up in the channels that drain fluid from the eye, they can upset the normal flow of fluids in the eye. As a result, this can lead to a rise in eye pressure.

Childhood glaucoma

In rare cases, glaucoma can affect children due to genetic factors. The child may have:

  • Cloudiness in the cornea
  • Excessing tearing
  • Medication and surgery can help prevent vision loss
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Unusually large eyes

Symptoms of Glaucoma

The symptoms of the two most common types of glaucoma are different.

Open-angle glaucoma

Symptoms develop slowly, and a person may not notice them until the later stages.

They include:

  • Gradual loss of peripheral vision, usually in both eyes
  • Tunnel vision

Closed-angle glaucoma

The symptoms of acute glaucoma appear suddenly and include:

  • Blurry vision
  • Eye pain, usually severe
  • Nausea and possibly vomiting
  • Red eyes
  • Seeing halo-like glows around lights
  • Sudden, unexpected vision problems, especially in poor lighting

Diagnosis of Glaucoma

Ophthalmologists regularly check for glaucoma as part of a routine eye test. They can use several diagnostic tests:

Opthalmoscopy

The eye doctor puts drops into the eye to widen the pupil, then examines the inside of the eye using a special light and magnifying glass.

Perimetry

The doctor carries out a visual field test to check the person’s peripheral (side) vision. In fact, the person looks straight ahead while the doctor presents a light spot in different places around the edge of their vision. Consequently, this helps create a map of what the person can see.

Tonometry

After using eye drops to numb the eye, the doctor measures the pressure in the eye with a device that either touches the cornea (applanation) or uses a puff of air.

Gonioscopy

The doctor uses eye drops to numb the eyes, then places a type of contact lens on the eye. The lens has a mirror that that can show if the angle between the iris and the cornea is normal, too wide (open), or too narrow (closed).

Pachymetry

The doctor places a probe on the front of the eye to measure the thickness of the cornea. The doctor will take this into account when they assess all the results, as corneal thickness can affect eye pressure readings.

Treatment of Glaucoma

Treatment aims to improve the flow of fluid from the eye, reduce fluid production, or both.

There are several ways to do this:

Eye drops

Most people will use eye drops as initial treatment. These either reduce the amount of fluid the eye makes or improve drainage.

It is essential to follow a healthcare professional’s instructions carefully for the best results and to prevent adverse effects.

Examples of eye drops include:

  • Beta blockers
  • Cholinergic agents
  • Nitric oxide releasers
  • Prostaglandins
  • Rho kinase inhibitors
  • Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors

Adverse effects can include:

  • Change in eye color or skin around the eye
  • Dry mouth
  • Headaches
  • Occasionally, retinal detachments or difficulty breathing
  • Redness
  • Stinging

If the adverse effects persist, the doctor may change the dose or recommend a different option

Prevention of Glaucoma

There is no known way to prevent glaucoma, however, early diagnosis and treatment can improve the chance of preventing vision loss.

Furthermore, it is essential to have regular eye checks because this is the only way to detect glaucoma in the early stages. In addition, the Glaucoma Foundation recommend having a baseline test at the age of 40. The doctor will use the results to detect future changes.

Moreover, a doctor can advise an individual on how often they should have an eye test, depending on their risk level.

Summary

Glaucoma is a common eye condition that affects people as they get older. Specifically, it happens when fluid does not drain from the eye, increasing pressure and the risk of damage to the optic nerve.

Although, it may have no symptoms in the early stages but can lead to vision loss. Therefore, regular eye tests can help detect changes that will enable a person to start treatment, usually with eye drops. Consequently, this treatment can slow or prevent vision loss.

Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Samples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human specimens and human bio-fluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

So this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, patient’s data is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serum, plasma and PBMC.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human bio-specimens, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasma, serum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human samples from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, contact us Now.

  • 日本のお客様は、ベイバイオサイエンスジャパンBay Biosciences Japanまたはhttp://baybiosciences-jp.com/contact/までご連絡ください。