What Is an Imbalance in Eye Pressure?

An imbalance in eye pressure, technically called intraocular pressure (IOP) can lead to vision deficiencies and eye disease. Ocular hypertension is when IOP is too high because of an imbalance in eye fluids. This is strongly associated with the glaucoma eye disease, which can cause loss of vision.

Features

• An imbalance in IOP occurs when the eye is producing more fluids (aqueous humor), which bathe, protect, and help supply nutrients and oxygen to the eye, than it can drain. The buildup of fluids in the eye leads to high IOP or ocular hypertension.

Symptoms

• Ocular hypertension generally has few, if any, symptoms until vision damage has occurred, according to AllAboutVision.com. In some cases, high IOP causes cloudy vision, light sensitivity, headaches, eye pain, eye inflammation and loss of peripheral vision (which implies glaucoma).

Causes

• An injury or trauma to the head or directly to the eye can cause a malfunction in the eye's drainage system and/or fluid-producing cells. Ocular hypertension also occurs as people age, beginning after age 40, according to AllAboutVision.com.

Implications

• Ocular hypertension threatens to damage the optic nerve, which is responsible for vision ability. Damage of the optic nerve leads to vision loss.

Diagnosis

• Tonometry is used to determine IOP by measuring the tone or firmness of the eye's surface, according to MedicineNet.com. This test is performed by an ophthalmologist.

Treatment

• Eye drops and oral medications are used to lower eye pressure by triggering fluid drainage. Laser surgery, which creates new drainage passageways in the eye, or implants, which add aesthetic drainage systems to the eye, are also used to treat the imbalance of eye fluids.