glaucoma

American  

[glaw-koh-muh, glau-] / glɔˈkoʊ mə, glaʊ- /

noun

• glaucomas
  plural

1. Ophthalmology. abnormally high fluid pressure in the eye, most commonly caused either by blockage of the channel through which aqueous humor drains open-angle glaucoma, or chronic glaucoma or by pressure of the iris against the lens, which traps the aqueous humor angle-closure glaucoma, or acute glaucoma.

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glaucoma British  

/ ɡlɔːˈkəʊmə /

noun

1. a disease of the eye in which pressure within the eyeball damages the optic disc, impairing vision, sometimes progressing to blindness

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glaucoma Scientific  

/ glou-kō′mə,glô- /

1. A disease of the eye in which the pressure of fluid inside the eyeball is abnormally high, caused by obstructed outflow of the fluid. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve and lead to partial or complete loss of vision.

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glaucoma Cultural  

1. A disease of the eye marked by increased fluid pressure in the eyeball. Glaucoma can damage the optic nerve and may result in blindness if not treated. Surgery may be required for severe cases.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• glaucomatous
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• glaucomas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of glaucoma

First recorded in 1635–45; Latin glaucōma, from Greek glaúkōma “opacity of the eye lens, cataract”; see origin at glauco-, -oma (cataracts and glaucoma were not clearly distinguished until the early 18th century)

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Explanation

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition that can lead to blindness if it's not treated. It's much more common for elderly people to develop glaucoma than younger people. Glaucoma is usually caused by fluid building up in the eye and increasing the pressure on the optic nerve. Although glaucoma causes a lot of the blindness in people older than 60, it's almost always treatable if it's diagnosed early enough. The word glaucoma comes from the Greek glaukoma, "opacity of the lens," from the root glaukommatos, "gray-eyed."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

glaucoma

Suffering glaucoma, with failing eyesight, she was unable to even do basic things like adjust the controls on her air conditioner.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Additional analyses showed that the associations remained among men who developed glaucoma within 1, 3, or 6 months after beginning tadalafil treatment.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Researchers then compared the two groups to determine how often participants developed glaucoma or ocular hypertension and how frequently they began treatment for glaucoma after 5 years.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

After the verdict, the church leader returned to hospital, where as court has ruled said she can remain until Wednesday due to medical issues including a heart condition, pain from a fall, and glaucoma treatment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

Like the onset of some cold glaucoma dimming away the world.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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