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Congenital glaucoma: This inherited form of glaucoma is present at birth, with 80 percent of cases diagnosed by age one. These children are born with narrow angles or some other defect in the drainage system of the eye. It's difficult to spot signs of congenital glaucoma, because children are too young to understand what is happening to them. If you notice a cloudy, white, hazy, enlarged or protruding eye in your child, consult your eye doctor. Congenital glaucoma typically occurs more in boys than in girls.
Pigmentary glaucoma: This rare form of glaucoma is caused by pigment deposited from the iris that clogs the draining angles, preventing aqueous humor from leaving the eye. Over time, the inflammatory response to the blocked angle damages the drainage system. You are unlikely to notice any symptoms with pigmentary glaucoma, though some pain and blurry vision may occur after exercise. Pigmentary glaucoma affects mostly white males in their mid-30s to mid-40s.
Secondary glaucoma: Symptoms of chronic glaucoma following an eye injury could indicate secondary glaucoma, which also may develop with presence of infection, inflammation, a tumor or an enlarged cataract.
The cause of glaucoma is generally a failure of the eye to maintain an appropriate balance between the amount of internal (intraocular) fluids produced and the amount that drains away. Underlying reasons for this imbalance usually relate to the type of glaucoma you have.
Just as a basketball or football requires air pressure to maintain its shape, the eyeball needs internal fluid pressure to retain its globe-like shape and ability to see. But when glaucoma damages the ability of internal eye structures to regulate intraocular pressure (IOP), eye pressure can rise to dangerously high levels.
Unlike a ball or balloon, the eye can't relieve pressure by springing a leak and "deflating" when pressure is too high. Instead, high IOP just keeps building and pushing against the optic nerve until nerve fibers are permanently damaged and vision is lost.