Glaucoma involves increased intraocular pressure that damages which structures?

Glaucoma involves increased intraocular pressure that damages which structures?

• A. Retina and optic nerve
• B. Cornea
• C. Lens
• D. Iris

Answer: (A)

Elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma mainly harms the optic nerve and the retina. The optic nerve carries visual information from the eye to the brain, and high pressure applied at the nerve head compresses nerve fibers and reduces blood flow. This leads to death of retinal ganglion cells and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer, so vision is progressively lost, usually starting at the edges. The retina is involved because the nerve fibers that form the optic nerve originate there, so damage to these fibers shows up as retinal nerve fiber layer loss alongside optic neuropathy. The cornea, lens, and iris aren’t the primary targets of pressure in glaucoma, though extreme pressure can cause corneal edema or other issues in some cases; the characteristic problem is the damage to the optic nerve and retinal nerve fibers that leads to vision loss.

Elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma mainly harms the optic nerve and the retina. The optic nerve carries visual information from the eye to the brain, and high pressure applied at the nerve head compresses nerve fibers and reduces blood flow. This leads to death of retinal ganglion cells and thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer, so vision is progressively lost, usually starting at the edges. The retina is involved because the nerve fibers that form the optic nerve originate there, so damage to these fibers shows up as retinal nerve fiber layer loss alongside optic neuropathy. The cornea, lens, and iris aren’t the primary targets of pressure in glaucoma, though extreme pressure can cause corneal edema or other issues in some cases; the characteristic problem is the damage to the optic nerve and retinal nerve fibers that leads to vision loss.