Glaucoma States. Both internationally and in the United States, glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness. Globally, cataracts are a more common cause. Glaucoma is also the leading cause of blindness in African Americans, who have higher rates of primary open-angle glaucoma. Bilateral vision loss can negatively affect mobility and interfere with driving. A meta-analysis published in 2009 found that people with primary open angle glaucoma do "not" have increased mortality rates, or increased risk of cardiovascular death. The association of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and the eye disease glaucoma was first described by Englishman Richard Bannister in 1622: "...that the
Glaucoma glaucoma in humans. It follows, then, that oral vitamin supplementation is not a recommended treatment for glaucoma. Caffeine increases intraocular pressure in those with glaucoma, but does not appear to affect normal individuals. Many people of East Asian descent are prone to developing angle closure glaucoma due to shallower anterior chamber depths, with the majority of cases of glaucoma in this population consisting of some form of angle closure. Other Asians such as South Asians are also prone to developing angle closure glaucoma. Higher rates of glaucoma have also been reported for Inuit populations, compared to white populations, in Canada