A Brief History of Glaucoma Treatment

For as long as we’ve had eyes to see, those eyes have eventually failed too many of us. But as the years have progressed, our experts and doctors have gained a deeper understanding of progressive blindness, learning to distinguish macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma from one another. Though we’ve known of glaucoma since the days of Ancient Greece, it’s only comparatively recent that our ophthalmologists have been able to zero in on its causes and treat them. Explore how we’ve gotten to where we are today with this brief history of glaucoma treatment.

Glaucoma in Antiquity

Our story begins in Ancient Greece, a cradle of civilization and birthplace of many medical developments. Glaucoma comes from the Greek glaukos, a word that denoted a light bluish color. Greek scholars believe this originally described eyes with cataracts, which can take on a frosted, glassy appearance. Though the Greeks recognized the existence of progressive vision loss and were able to label it, they did not yet fully understand the nature of glaucoma as a distinct form of vision loss. It would not be until the 17^th century that doctors began making serious headway against glaucoma.

Identifying Glaucoma

In 1622, English ophthalmologist Richard Banister discovered that the eyes of people losing their vision had certain characteristics that may indicate the origin of their blindness. Banister noted that these eyes were “more solid and hard,” and with that, circumvoluted the existence of high intraocular pressure. From this point, it was a matter of discovering what made these eyes more solid and why that mattered.

The Ophthalmoscope

1851 marked the invention of the ophthalmoscope, a device that allowed doctors to see inside the eye. With this closer look, ophthalmologists could identify damage to the optic nerve, the important and highly sensitive nerve whose degradation causes glaucoma. The next step for doctors would be to find what causes damage to the nerve—perhaps those unusually “hard” eyes.

The Tonometer

In Norway, 1905, Hjalmar Schiøtz innovated the very first tonometer, a device that measured the resistance of the eye’s surface to deduce the level of fluid pressure within the eye. Later, in Switzerland, Hans Goldmann refined the tonometer with the applanation tonometer, which measured the amount of force necessary to flatten the surface of the eye. This was the breakthrough in studying glaucoma, and applanation tonometry continues to be relevant to glaucoma screening.

Treatment Today

By identifying elevated intraocular pressure as the root cause of glaucoma, ophthalmologists are able to help their patients stave off blindness more effectively thanks to huge and recent leaps, as you’ve seen in this brief history. Glaucoma treatment today involves reducing intraocular pressure with medications, surgical intervention, and lifestyle changes, as well as genetic screening to determine the likelihood of inheriting high pressure.

FAQ

Where did glaucoma come from?

Our story begins in Ancient Greece, a cradle of civilization and birthplace of many medical developments. Glaucoma comes from the Greek glaukos, a word that denoted a light bluish color. Greek scholars believe this originally described eyes with cataracts, which can take on a frosted, glassy appearance. Though the Greeks recognized the existence of progressive vision loss and were able to label it, they did not yet fully understand the nature of glaucoma as a distinct form of vision loss. It would not be until the 17^th century that doctors began making serious headway against glaucoma.

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