Open-angle glaucoma, the most popular form of Igenics Review glaucoma, affects about three million Americans. Half of them do not even realize they have it. There are no symptoms at first -- vision stays normal, and there is no pain. If the glaucoma remains untreated, people may begin to notice that although they see things in front of them clearly, they miss objects to the side and out of the corners of their eyes.
Open-angle glaucoma gets its name because the angle that allows fluid to drain out of the anterior chamber is open. However, for unknown reasons, the fluid passes too slowly through the meshwork drain. As the fluid builds up, the pressure inside the eye increases. Unless the pressure at the front of the eye is controlled, it can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss.
In closed-angle glaucoma, the fluid at the front of the eye cannot reach the angle and leave the eye because the angle is blocked by part of the iris (the part that makes eyes blue, brown or green). You can imagine this occurring much like a sheet of paper floating near a drain. If the paper suddenly drops over the opening, the flow is quickly blocked.