====== Glaucoma ======

//Glaucoma// is a group of eye diseases - the leading cause of non-reversible blindness worldwide. It's linked***** with increased intra-ocular pressure (IOP) and results in damage to the retinal cells and the optic nerve. (Note the increased IOP is also sometimes called occular hypertension.)

>Glaucoma is characterized by a continuous loss of retinal ganglion cells.__ The cause of glaucoma is associated with an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP), but the underlying pathophysiology is diverse and, in most cases, unknown.__\\ \\ Source : [[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163725823000761?via%3Dihub|Pharmacology & Therapeutics]], April 2023 (early view)

Although the cause in predominantly unknown, it's been found that genetics, environmental factors, and especially age, make it considerably more likely for individuals to develop the disease.

//*** **Important Note :// Only about 50% of people with chronic simple glaucoma actually have elevated IOP ([[https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/article-abstract/639214|ref.]])

>Results confirmed that IOP is an important factor in glaucoma, but did not support the traditional distinction between "normal" and "elevated" pressure, nor its corollaries, "low-tension" glaucoma and "high-tension" glaucoma.\\ \\ [link above]

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Two of the first-line drugs used to treat high IOP have 'mechanisms of action' which are unexplained. See [[content:medicine:drugs:bimatoprost]] and [[content:medicine:drugs:betaxolol]]