What is the most common type of glaucoma?
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease, occurring in more than three million Americans, according to the Glaucoma Foundation. In open-angle glaucoma, the angle where the cornea and the iris meet in the eye is open, but the aqueous humor fluid passes too slowly through the meshwork drain. As a result, the pressure in the eye gradually increases, compressing cells in the optic nerve. If left untreated, the compression eventually will cause the optic nerve cells to die, producing blindness.
