Glaucoma This manifests as a gradual loss of the visual field, starting with a loss of peripheral vision, but eventually the entire vision will be lost if not treated. This is the most common type of glaucoma, accounting for 90% of cases in the United States, but fewer in Asian countries. Onset is slow and painless, and loss of vision is gradual and irreversible. Narrow-angle glaucoma (also "closed-angle glaucoma") the iris bows forward, narrowing the angle that drains the eye, increasing pressure within the eye. If untreated, it can lead to the medical emergency of angle-closure glaucoma. In angle-closure glaucoma (also
Glaucoma 2 million people in the United States. It occurs more commonly among older people. Closed-angle glaucoma is more common in women. Glaucoma has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision usually occurs slowly over a long period of time. Worldwide, glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness after cataracts. The word "glaucoma" is from Ancient Greek "glaukos" which means blue, green, or gray. In English, the word was used as early as 1587 but did not become commonly used until after 1850, when the development of the ophthalmoscope allowed people to see the optic nerve