Elevated intraocular pressure is considered a major risk factor for developing glaucoma. Some values may indicate symptoms of intraocular pressure.
Normal intraocular pressure ranges from 8 to 21 mmHg. According to some statistics, the upper normal value is 22 mmHg or even 24 mmHg. It is important to note that any increase in intraocular pressure does not mean that a person has glaucoma.
Glaucoma is defined as damage to the optic nerve as a result of elevated intraocular pressure. For its diagnosis, we must have some changes in the optic nerve. If we only have high eye pressure, it is called ocular hypertension. If we have damage to the optic nerve, which is characteristic of the appearance of glaucoma, and at the same time normal intraocular pressure, it is called normotensive glaucoma.
The mechanism of glaucoma is different, therefore, based on that there are different divisions of glaucoma, and from there different types of treatment. Common to all is the excessive amount of aqueous humor that is retained in the eye, or its disturbed flow leading to accumulation and high pressure on the structures in the eye.
Sometimes the stagnation is due to the anatomical structure of the eye, other times as a result of the deposition of various substances in the drainage system of the eye.
Untreated glaucoma can lead to complete damage to the optic nerve resulting in blindness.