The discovery has been published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology and sheds light on how the new layer in the human cornea plays a vital role in the structure of the tissue that controls the flow of fluid from the eye, a university press release stated. The discovery of the ultra thin layer could pave way for the patients suffering from blindness due to increased fluid pressure in the eye that was left untreated.
As stated on wikipedia, Glaucoma has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision often occurs gradually over a long period of time, and symptoms only occur when the disease is quite advanced. Once lost, vision cannot normally be recovered, so treatment is aimed at preventing further loss. Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness after cataract.
It is also the leading cause of blindness among African Americans. Glaucoma affects one in 200 people aged 50 and younger, and one in 10 over the age of eighty. If the condition is detected early enough, it is possible to arrest the development or slow the progression with medical and surgical means.
Photograph by James Heilman