Glaucoma is a Cause of Cataracts

Glaucoma and cataracts, both conditions of the eye, can effect vision and cause blindness. They are different in that cataracts, if treated promptly, are reversible through surgery, while blindness from glaucoma is irreversible.

Definition

• A disease of the eye's important optic nerve, glaucoma causes impaired peripheral vision and may lead to loss of central vision. Often, but not always, due to increased pressure in the eye (IOP), glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, worldwide, according to Medicinenet.com.

Cataracts

• A normal eye lens is clear. Cataracts cloud the lens, causing it to appear foggy. Cataracts may lead to partial vision loss, requiring a relatively fast, outpatient surgery with few side effects.

Diabetes Link

• Glaucoma and cataracts are similar in that they both occur often in people with diabetes. Not yet conclusive, studies show that Type 2 diabetes increase the risk of glaucoma in women by up to 70 percent. According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetics are 40 percent more likely to get glaucoma and 60 percent more likely to get cataracts.

Conflicting Ideas

• According to CataractSurgery.com, certain types of glaucoma, and their treatment by surgery, have been linked to the development of certain types of cataracts. Acute closed-angle glaucoma does this by disturbing the flow of liquid in the lens, increasing the chance that a cataract will develop. The Glaucoma Research Foundation, however, says that glaucoma doesn't cause cataracts and the two are not associated.

Cataract-Glaucoma Link

• Cataract surgery can lead to secondary glaucoma, says CataractSurgery.com. Sometimes a mature cataract can cause glaucoma, too, due to its swelling which blocks proper drainage and causes eye pressure to build.