Glaucoma Subtypes

When the drainage system appears to be anatomically narrow or closed, there is an anatomic barrier to eye fluid (aqueous) from exiting the eye. Some patients have eyes where the anatomy predisposes them to having their bodies own iris tissue blocking the drainage system. Usually these patients have anatomically smaller eyes or anatomically smaller anterior segments(the front part of the eye). Laser surgery and cataract surgery is frequently performed in these cases. In other cases, the body may grow new blood vessels which contract and can cause closure of the drainage system. We call this neovascular glaucoma and it is usually the result of conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, artery occlusions, vein occlusions, or other conditions in which the eye is not supplied well by blood or oxygen.