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Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness and vision impairment affecting approximately 2.5 million Americans.
Pathophysiologically, glaucoma is a progressive optic nerve disease often associated with elevated intraocular pressure and characterized by optic disc cupping and visual field loss. Vision loss from glaucoma is asymptomatic and irreversible.
Aqueous humor is a clear fluid that fills the anterior and posterior chambers of the eye produced by the ciliary body. It passes through the pupil, and drains through the trabecular meshwork (Figure 1).
In open-angle glaucoma, impaired outflow resulting from dysfunctioning of the aqueous drainage system (Figure 2) causes elevated intraocular pressure within the eye resulting in the damage of the optic nerve (Figure 3).
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