How does eye pressure affect glaucoma?

Increasing eye pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma, which can lead to irreversible blindness. Within the eye, maintaining a certain pressure is crucial to keep it properly inflated, much like a balloon. However, when the eye pressure becomes excessively high, it can lead to glaucoma. This condition is typically screened during eye exams where eye care providers measure the pressure to ensure it is not too high. Treatments for glaucoma often involve reducing eye pressure, which can be achieved through medications like eye drops, procedures using lasers, or surgeries that facilitate fluid outflow from the eye, thus lowering the pressure to a normal range 1.

Even when eye pressure is within normal ranges, lowering it further has been proven in clinical studies to slow the progression of optic nerve damage and vision loss in glaucoma patients. Both eyedrops and lasers are used as first treatments, but for some patients, more intensive therapies like surgery may be necessary if initial treatments do not adequately control the pressure 2.