glaucoma

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glaucoma (glaw-koh-mă) n. a condition in which loss of vision occurs because of an abnormally high pressure in the eye. angle-closure (or acute) g. primary glaucoma in which there is a sudden rise in pressure due to blockage of the angle between the junction of the cornea and sclera and the margin of the iris, where aqueous humour usually drains from the eye. It is accompanied by pain and marked blurring of vision. open-angle (or chronic simple) g. a more common form of primary glaucoma in which the pressure increases gradually, usually without producing pain, and the visual loss is insidious. primary g. glaucoma that occurs without any other ocular disease. It is an important cause of blindness. secondary g. glaucoma that may occur when other ocular disease impairs the normal circulation of the aqueous humour and causes the intraocular pressure to rise.

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