The Toll of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that causes a loss of peripheral vision. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world.1 While current treatments can delay the progression of glaucoma, there are no cures. Even with treatment, people become blind from glaucoma every single day.
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Intraocular Pressure (IOP) is the pressure inside the eye
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The Lamina Cribrosa separates the intraocular portion of the optic nerve from the extraocular portion
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The Optic Nerve carries visual information from the eye to the brain
Dramatic increase in glaucoma projected
The National Eye Institute projects that the number of glaucoma patients in the U.S. will continue to increase with the aging population.2 As we seek to stop glaucoma, current treatments are inadequate. Recent discoveries of the underlying causes of glaucoma have equipped our team to meet this challenge.
Redefining Glaucoma
In a healthy eye, the pressure in the eye, which is known as intraocular pressure or IOP, is slightly higher than the pressure in the brain, which is known as intracranial pressure or ICP.
Normal
Restoring Balance
Glaucoma has always been thought of as a one-pressure disease with high IOP as a leading risk factor.
We’ve discovered, however, that glaucoma is likely a two-pressure disease, the balance between IOP and ICP. If IOP is high, or ICP is low, glaucoma may ensue.
Glaucoma
The imbalance in pressure between the eye and brain may not only lead to glaucoma, but also diseases such as Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), Hypotony, and VIIP if the ICP is high or the IOP is low.
IIH, Hypotony, and VIIP
1Quigley HA. Number of people with glaucoma worldwide. British Journal of Ophthalmology 1996;80:389–393.
2National Eye Institute, “Projections for Glaucoma 2010-2030-2050”