Abstract
Prior to the 1980s, glaucoma was defined as a disease involving progressive visual loss due to elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Although elevated IOP is now considered one of the major risk factors for glaucomatous damage, glaucoma is defined as a primary optic neuropathy; visual loss results from characteristic, progressive deterioration of the optic nerve due to loss of retinal ganglion cells and their axons, leading to irreversible loss of visual function. At least three million Americans suffer from glaucoma, and many more have risk factors that require monitoring or treatment. In addition, 50% of Americans with glaucoma are unaware they have the disease.
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Cioffi, G.A. (2019). Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy. In: Casper, D., Cioffi, G. (eds) The Columbia Guide to Basic Elements of Eye Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10886-1_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10886-1_15
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