When does glaucoma start?

Depends: There are many causes of glaucoma and some can even start at birth. If no specific cause has been identified, routine eye exams are recommended with assessments of the pressure inside the eye and the nerve that connects the eye to the brain. Increasing age, family history, and african american race are three identified factors for increased risk of primary open angle glaucoma.

Ganglion cell death: And subsequent retinal nerve fiber layer loss--all basically starts when the mechanical pressure, vascular perfusion, inflammatory factors, and other neuromodulators lead to signal cell death.