Glaucoma

What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged at the point at which it leaves the eye. This nerve carries information from the light-sensitive layer in your eye – the retina – to the brain, where it is received as a picture.

Your eye needs a certain amount of pressure to keep the eyeball in shape so that it can work properly. In some people, the damage is caused by raised eye pressure. For some, it’s a weakness in the optic nerve. In most cases both factors are involved but to a varying extent. Eye pressure is largely independent of blood pressure.