Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve and causes vision loss and blindness. It is often asymptomatic in the early stages. The main cause is increased pressure within the eye (intraocular pressure) due to impaired fluid drainage from the eye. There are two main types - open angle glaucoma which develops slowly over time and closed angle glaucoma which is a medical emergency with sudden severe eye pain. Treatment aims to reduce intraocular pressure and halt further optic nerve damage.