Top 8 Common Causes Of Glaucoma

The eyeball is filled with an aqueous humor, which generates pressure in the eye in order to give it a shape. This fluid in healthy eyes constantly flows out of and in the eye. It flows back into the blood stream the same as that is created to keep the pressure correct. When the fluid is not able to flow properly, the pressure in our eyes can damage our optic nerve, which connects our eyes to our brain and the nerve fibers coming from the retina, which is the light-sensitive nerve tissue lining the eye’s back.

Causes Of Glaucoma – The Most Common:

Glaucoma is an eye disorder, which causes optic nerve damage and can result in vision loss. Glaucoma occurs when the trabecular meshwork in the eye are slightly blocked, thus preventing the aqueous humor from flowing properly. A blood vessel preventing the trabecular meshwork may also block fluid from flowing properly.

There are a plenty of factors, which may increase the risk of suffering from glaucoma:

Age: Glaucoma becomes more common when you get older. This condition most often occurs in people over 40

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Short sightedness: Individuals who get short sightedness are more likely to suffer from glaucoma
Ethnic origin: Individuals of Afro-Caribbean or African origin are more likely to develop chronic open-angle glaucoma and individuals of Asian origin are more likely to develop cute angle-closure glaucoma.
Ocular hypertension: People who are diagnosed to get increased pressure in the eye are at increased risk of suffering from open-angle glaucoma.
Medical history: Individuals who get diabetes may increase the risk of developing glaucoma.

Family history: In case you get a close relative who gets glaucoma, you are also at higher risk of suffering from glaucoma.

In this article, I will reveal some of the most common causes of glaucoma in details, so you should keep your eyes on the interesting health facts and the common causes of developing glaucoma. They are:

1. Poor Blood Flow In The Eye

causes of glaucoma - poor blood flow in the eye

This is the first out of the most common causes of glaucoma that I want to introduce in this entire article and want all of my readers to know and make an eye test for good!

Some certain types of glaucoma may be resulted from poor blood flow that moves to the optic nerve. According to a study of National Institutes of Health, it revealed that people with open-angle glaucoma had decreased the blood flow in our eyes. There are a plenty of reasons why our blood flow can be reduced such as a congenital condition or an eye injury. Other conditions such as diabetes could also be causes of blood flow problems throughout the body, and of course, the eyes are also affected by this problem.

Although we cannot know exactly the cause of normal-tension glaucoma, many experts believe that reduced blood flow to the optic nerve can be a common factor. This may be able to be resulted from narrowing of blood vessels, which nurse the optic nerve or compression of these vessels. Some research also show that poor blood flow in the eye is involved in blind spots that still develop in the visual field like those that happen in glaucoma.

Poor blood flow is actually a common cause of glaucoma, so be careful with it!

2. Structural Defects

Getting some structural defects in the eye may be considered as a possible cause of glaucoma. For instance, some individuals get a narrow angle between the cornea and the iris, which may involve in fluid drainage. The pressure in the eye may cause damages that lead to glaucoma.

This is, in fact, one of the common causes of glaucoma that you should know and protect your eye from structural defects to get healthy eyes.

3. Eye Injuries

An injury to the eye often causes a traumatic glaucoma. It can occur immediately after this eye injury or some years later. It may be able to be caused by a thing penetrating the eye or by an object bruising the eye. Blunt trauma, like being hit directly in the eye or over the head, is one of the common causes of glaucoma. Sports-related eye injuries are the common cause of blunt trauma, which leads to glaucoma.

Getting a previous eye injury or eye surgery can cause damage to the eye, which makes the fluid drain improperly. After a period of time, this can cause optic nerve damage, which is one of the most common causes of glaucoma.

In fact, this is also among the most common causes of glaucoma. So you should try to protect your eyes from eye injuries to reduce the risk of developing glaucoma.

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4. Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

causes of glaucoma - pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Apart from structural defects, there are also a couple of syndromes that may cause glaucoma. And pseudoexfoliation syndrome is the most common syndrome related to glaucoma. When this syndrome happens, flakes of fibrous materials may peel off the eye’s lens. The material may prevent the fluid drainage from the eye and at the same time, increase the pressure, which can cause glaucoma.

This is in brief one of the most common causes of glaucoma, so you should not look down yet try to make an eye test soon in case you get pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

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5. Optic Nerve Damage

Another out of the most common causes of glaucoma that I want to reveal in this article and want all of my readers to know that optic nerve damage can lead to glaucoma immediately.

While high intraocular pressure is associated with glaucoma, this eye condition also occurs when the eye pressure is normal. Individuals with this eye condition get pressure-sensitive optic nerves that are vulnerable to damage from what would be considered as normal intraocular pressure. Conversely, some certain people with increased intraocular pressure may never get glaucoma.

Most of the methods of diagnosing glaucoma involve in testing eyes for the occurring of high intraocular pressure. However, as glaucoma can be developed even with normal intraocular pressure, direct exam of the optic nerve as well as visual field testing are important in ruling out the diagnosis of glaucoma.

This is actually also one out of the most common causes of glaucoma that a lot of people in the world suffer from, so you should be careful with optic nerve damage.

6. Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions that lead to a reduction in perfusion can also lead to the development of glaucoma. Perfusion is a process of blood through the body. Some medical conditions, for example, diabetes and hypertension, can affect the blood flow. Some other conditions may cause the development of glaucoma such as sickle cell disease, hypothyroidism, sleep apnea. People who suffer from certain medical conditions should have more screening for glaucoma as they are at higher risk of getting the glaucoma.

This is also one of the most common causes of glaucoma that you should know for good, especially in case you are experiencing medical conditions.

7. Abnormal Buildup Of Beta-Amyloid Proteins In The Eye’s Retina

causes of glaucoma - abnormal buildup of beta-amyloid proteins in the eye’s retina

Another one on the list of the most common causes of glaucoma that I would like to reveal in this article today and want all of my readers to know and consider making an eye test if you are suffering from an abnormal buildup of beta-amyloid proteins in the eye.

In a study reported in 2024, researchers indicated a common cause of both Alzheimer’s, which creates memory loss and brain lesions, and glaucoma. They found that the buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid in the retina of the eye and in brain tissue occurs to be involved in development of both Alzheimer’s and glaucoma. However, abnormal buildup of beta-amyloid does not mean that people with Alzheimer’s will suffer from glaucoma.

This is also a great one on the list of the most common causes of glaucoma that you should not look down but find a proper treatment as soon as possible.

8. Use Of Steroid – Containing Medications

This is the last out of the most common causes of glaucoma that I want to reveal in this entire article and want all of my readers to know if they are using steroid-containing medications.

In some instances, glaucoma may be resulted from long-term steroid use. Steroids are prescribed to deal with a plenty of conditions such as skin inflammation, asthma and arthritis. The steroid risk leading to glaucoma occurs to be associated with the route od administration. According to the condition being dealt with steroids may be offered orally through eye drops or a nasal spray. Inhaled steroids occur to get the lowest association with the glaucoma development. Oral steroids suffered for a long time may cause glaucoma in some cases. Steroids topically administered into the eye give the highest risk of developing glaucoma.

Glaucoma is one of the most common causes of blindness in the world. There are 4 main types of glaucoma:

Acute angle-closure glaucoma
Chronic open-angle glaucoma
Secondary glaucoma
Congenital glaucoma

Addition to these causes, glaucoma can be caused by other eye diseases and conditions. Other causes of glaucoma are:

Eye inflammation
Pigment dispersion, where granules or fragments from the iris can circulate in the fluid within the front part of the eye and prevent the trabecular meshwork.
Medication such as corticosteroids

Currently, although there is no effective way to prevent glaucoma, early detection is very important to protect your vision. Since loss of vision may be one of the symptoms of this eye condition, eye tests, which can help reduce the risk of developing glaucoma, should be implemented regularly. According to a study, although there is no cure, early detection may help us in slowing down the development of glaucoma. Treatment for glaucoma may have medication, laser and surgery.

Another thing that I would like all of my readers to do after reading this writing about the most common causes of glaucoma is to spend time reading another article that reveals some of the main symptoms of glaucoma – the 6 Main Symptoms Of Glaucoma article. This is actually an important article that you need to read after reading this entire article. These symptoms of glaucoma have found in many people in the world who have glaucoma, so you should read this recommended article and see whether or not you have glaucoma, and then find a proper treatment as soon as possible.

This is the list of 8 most common causes of glaucoma that everyone who wants to know reasons that lead to glaucoma should read and then remember for good. In fact, these common causes have been already proven, so you should not look down them. The common causes of glaucoma are actually proven by science so readers of VKool.com should not ignore them but read and remember for good.

After reading the list of common causes of glaucoma and learn how to treat this eye disorder, if you feel this list is good for your current eye health and can also help others you know who are facing one or more of the health conditions as I mentioned in this article above, you should share this list with them. Remember to advise them to make an eye test in order to find a proper treatment as soon as possible. If you know other causes of glaucoma, do not forget to share them with other readers by leaving your comments in the comment section below. I will try to reply you as soon as possible.

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Last Updated: August 21, 2017 by Brown

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