Glaucoma - Primary open-angle assessment

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Glaucoma may be described as a complex of diseases and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is but one of this constellation of conditions.

It is the most common of the glaucomas and accounts for about 90 per cent of the primary glaucomas. POAG is insidious, bilateral and frequently asymmetric in its presentation. Without treatment it will progress to cause blindness. It is probably genetically determined, having a multifactorial basis, and risk factors include advancing age, a family history of the disease, particularly in first degree relatives, myopia and systemic vascular difficulties such as diabetes.