What exactly is glaucoma?

my doctor said that i could have glaucoma,
i went to the doctors yesterday for this yellow lump
i have on my eye, which turned out to be a raised
blood vessel with thick skin over (ewwww)
yeh and she was worried because my eye has been hurting
me, and throbbing at times throughout the day.
she said she was a bit worried about the disk in
my eye, but not being an expert and not knowing
what anything like this is, i dont know what shes on
about. she told me to go to the optrician to be
checked for glaucoma, but what iss it exactly? i know
roughly cos my mum might have it and my grandpa does.
but yeh :) answer please x

what are the symptoms

My mum has it so I have to have a glaucoma test annually. The optician puts a puff of air into the eye and they can tell by the indentation the air makes on the lens if you have glaucoma. Mum has had laser treatment for hers.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Glaucoma/Pa...

Hi hun,

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged at the point where it leaves the eye. This nerve carries information from the light sensitive layer in your eye, the retina, to the brain where it is perceived as a picture.

Your eye needs a certain amount of pressure to keep the eyeball in shape so that it can work properly. In some people, the glaucoma damage is caused by raised eye pressure. Others may have an eye pressure within normal limits but damage occurs because there is a weakness in the optic nerve. In most cases, both factors of high pressure and weakness in the optic nerve are involved, but to a varying extent. Eye pressure is largely independent of blood pressure.

The main treatment for chronic glaucoma aims to reduce the pressure in your eye. Some treatments also aim to improve the blood supply to the optic nerve. You will need to go to hospital for treatment and have regular check-ups afterwards.

Treatment to lower the pressure is usually started with eyedrops. These act by reducing the amount of fluid produced in the eye or by opening up the drainage channels so that excess liquid can drain away. If this does not help, your specialist may suggest either laser treatment or an operation called a trabeculectomy to improve the drainage of fluids from your eye.

Your specialist will discuss with you which is the best method in your particular case.

I hope this helps. X