ABSTRACT
Historically, the term glaucoma has been used to describe conditions associated with increased intraocular pressure (IOP) leading to optic nerve and visual field damage.Today, because not all patients with increased IOP suffer from neuronal damage, and not all patients with glaucomatous optic neuropathy have an increased IOP, the term glaucoma refers to a syndrome of retinal ganglion cell loss manifested as retinal nerve fiber bundle loss and excavation of the optic nerve head with corresponding visual function defects. Morphological alterations of the optic nerve in glaucoma have long been described.Today, because of the perspective to identify the disease or the progression thereof earlier than by means of functional loss assessment,1 major efforts are being invested into the development of techniques that can quantify the clinical alterations of the optic nerve in glaucoma.2-10 Even more vivid is the research in the field exploring the pathway leading to the observed changes.A higher awareness of these mechanisms may enhance our understanding of the pathophysiology of glaucomatous optic neuropathy and foster the development of new therapeutic modalities.
