usually affects side (peripheral) vision first. If glaucoma isn't treated,
vision loss will continue, causing total blindness over time. If glaucoma
is found early and treatment starts right away, good eyesight can usually be
any type of glaucoma may delay or prevent further vision loss. But treatment can't
reverse vision loss that has already occurred. In a few rare cases of
congenital glaucoma, treatment has reversed some damage to the optic nerve.
Eye twitching is a repetitive, uncontrollable blinking or spasm of the eyelid, usually the upper lid.
Eye twitching (blepharospasm) usually affects the eye muscles of both eyes. If you have eye twitching, you may have an involuntary movement that recurs every several seconds for a minute or two.
Most people develop a minor eyelid twitch at some point in their lives. Although the cause is generally unknown, it may be associated with:
How much your life will be affected
depends on your lifestyle and on how bad your vision loss is. Normal use of your eyes (such as for
reading or watching TV) won't speed up vision loss or make the
condition worse. For information on
how to live with low vision, see Home Treatment.
Open-angle glaucoma (OAG)
OAG usually affects both eyes at the same
time. But one eye may be affected more than the other.
Vision changes so slowly that much of your eyesight may be affected before you
notice the condition.
Blind spots from each side of the field of vision gradually meet, increasing
the area of blindness. Central vision, used for reading and seeing details, is
Closed-angle glaucoma (CAG)
CAG usually affects only one eye at a time. It can happen suddenly (acute) or be a long-term problem. If it's acute, it's an emergency. Severe and permanent vision loss can develop within
hours or days after symptoms start.
You may have short episodes of CAG.
Without treatment, these episodes will keep coming back. They can become an emergency
situation (acute closed-angle glaucoma) or a long-term problem (chronic
Congenital glaucoma may be present at birth or develop within the first few years of life. Treatment needs to start right away to help avoid further vision loss and blindness. In certain children, some of the optic nerve damage caused by the disease can be reversed with treatment.
In this article
This information is produced and provided by the National
Institute (NCI). The information in this topic may have changed since it was written. For the most current information, contact the National
Institute via the Internet web site at http://
.gov or call 1-800-4-CANCER.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
August 05, 2013
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.
Healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this