Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma or “chronic glaucoma” is the most common type of glaucoma. Open angle glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among adults in the United States and is particularly dangerous because it can progress gradually and go unnoticed for years. The only way to detect the disease before it becomes a serious problem is with regular eye examinations that include a simple, painless pressure test.

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Woolfson Eye Institute (WEI) works closely with an elite group of optometrists and ophthalmologists who form our Woolfson Affiliate Network. If you have not had an eye exam in the last six months, or if you are unsure of your eye pressure, please click on our Find an Affiliate Doctor tab to locate an eye doctor in your area who will be happy to schedule your eye exam and pressure test.

Patients with open angle glaucoma have a gradual blockage of fluid despite a seemingly open space (chamber angle) in the front of the eye. Apparently as the eye ages, the drainage system can become clogged or the eye over-produces fluid, either of which causes pressure inside the eye to build to abnormal levels.

Open angle glaucoma typically occurs in patients over the age of 50, and the risk increases as you age. Also, patients who are highly myopic (nearsighted), have diabetes, or have cardiovascular problems are at higher risk of developing glaucoma. Another form of open angle or chronic glaucoma is called low-tension glaucoma. Patients with normal eye pressure sometimes develop damage to the optic nerve that results in a loss of peripheral vision. This type of glaucoma can be detected by an examination of the back of the eye at the optic nerve head with an ophthalmoscope and by performing a visual field test.