Glaucoma,Symptoms,Causes,Risk Factors and complications

"Glaucoma results from damage to the optic nerve. Usually the damage is from increased pressure in the eye. The damage to the eye is irreversible and glaucoma can lead to blindness. The most common form, open-angle glaucoma, generally appears in middle age and seems to have a genetic component. In this type of glaucoma, vision loss occurs very gradually. One eye is often worse than the other. Other types of glaucoma are closed-angle glaucoma (a medical emergency) and congenital glaucoma (present at birth). Secondary glaucoma is usually associated with another eye disease or disorder, such as a very mature cataract, uveitis, bleeding, eye tumor, or an eye injury

Symptoms:

At the time of a closed-angle glaucoma attack, symptoms include:
Severe eye or brow pain.

Redness of the eye.

Decreased or blurred vision.

Seeing colored rainbows or halos.

Headache.

Nausea.

Vomiting.

Causes:

Glaucoma usually occurs when pressure in your eye increases. This can happen when eye fluid isn't circulating normally in the front part of the eye. Normally, this fluid, called aqueous humor, flows out of the eye through a mesh-like channel. If this channel becomes blocked, fluid builds up,causing glaucoma.

Risk Factors:

Because chronic forms of glaucoma can destroy vision before any signs or symptoms are apparent, be aware of these factors:

Elevated internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure)..

Age.


Ethnic background

Family history of glaucoma.


Medical conditions.


Other eye conditions.


Long-term corticosteroid use.

Complications:

if left untreated, glaucoma will cause progressive vision loss, normally in these stages:
Blind spots in your peripheral vision
Tunnel vision
Total blindness