Visual difficultiesGlaucoma is a disease that causes visual impairment. It is estimated to affect 3 million Americans in the United States, of which 120,000 will go blind from the condition. In other parts of the world, where treatments are less available, glaucoma is considered a leading cause of blindness. Even if people with glaucoma do not go blind, vision can be affected. I have personally seen the effects of the disease because my grandmother had it. He underwent several unsuccessful surgeries. She was declared legally blind.Part AGlaucoma is defined as a disease of the optic nerve, in which the nerve fibers are damaged; usually abnormal increase in intraocular pressure. The two primary forms of glaucoma are open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma. In open-angle glaucoma there are no obvious symptoms or signs until it has caused irreversible damage. Initially, people may only notice vision problems when the light is dim. Sometimes there is sensitivity to glare and problems distinguishing between different shades and brightness. In angle-closure glaucoma, the pressure inside the eyes increases. Severe pain in the eyebrow area and blurred vision usually develop in one eye and the person often feels as if the eye is about to burst. The eye is red and the person will feel nausea or vomiting. The condition can be diagnosed by a doctor or eye examiner. A doctor may use a tonometry that measures the pressure in the eye. They may use an ophthalmoscope to check the optic nerve. Causes of glaucoma include the aging process, a nitric oxide deficiency, genetic factors, nutritional deficiency, toxic substances, abnormalities in chemicals in the brain, and stress. Once the optic nerve has been damaged, no treatment or procedure can be performed to restore vision. Early diagnosis helps people maintain their current vision. The treatments offered today are drugs and surgery can reduce the severity of the condition only when the diagnosis has been made early. Exercise, a healthy diet, and non-traditional treatment are also known to reduce the condition. The aging process contributes to pressure in open-angle glaucoma by decreasing the number of active cells in the trabecular meshwork, impairing their ability to effectively drain aqueous fluid.