Open Angle Glaucoma

Open angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma.

It is a slow, progressive condition
that leads to damage of the optic nerve.

Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. Primary open angle glaucoma accounts for two-thirds of all glaucoma. It usually affects both eyes, but can affect one eye more than the other. Eye pressure that is too high for the patient’s optic nerve is the primary modifiable risk factor in this disease. The eye pressure at which vision damage occurs varies from person to person. Lowering the eye pressure and monitoring the patient with optic nerve examination, visual field, and optic nerve scans will help establish a safe eye pressure level for the patient. Additional risk factors for open angle glaucoma include advanced age, black race or Hispanic ethnicity, and first degree relatives with open angle glaucoma.

Ocular Hypertension. This condition is characterized by elevated eye pressures without damage to the optic nerve. It is estimated that 4-7% of individuals in the United States above the age of 40 have ocular hypertension. Lowering the eye pressure in people who have ocular hypertension has reduced the risk of conversion to glaucoma. However, a low proportion of patients with ocular hypertension develop open angle glaucoma over a 5 year period even without treatment. Individual characteristics, especially the thickness of the cornea, older age, higher eye pressure, and the optic nerve appearance, are considered risk factors.

Normal Tension Glaucoma. This condition refers to patients who have signs of glaucoma despite eye pressures that are close to average. Since vision damage can occur at any eye pressure, it is unclear whether normal tension glaucoma is different from primary open angle glaucoma. There seems to be a higher prevalence of normal tension glaucoma amongst Asian races, those with ischemic vascular disease, autoimmune disease, migraine headaches, and other problems with circulation. Lowering the eye pressure is vital to preventing progression of visual field defects in these patients, similar to other open angle glaucoma patients. Click here to learn more.

Glaucoma Suspects. Any individual who has findings that are suspicious for glaucoma without definite signs of glaucoma damage. Often this means the patient may have optic nerve characteristics suggestive of glaucoma, but does not have corresponding changes on visual field testing. Depending on the degree of suspicion, glaucoma suspects may be monitored carefully with routine testing and exams or treated.