glaucoma

IPA/ɡlaʊˈkəʊmə/
KK[ɡlɔkˈomə]IPA/ɡlaʊˈkəʊmə/

glaucoma — noun

1. a long-term medical condition in which fluid builds up inside the eye, creating

1.nounB2
Definition

a long-term medical condition in which fluid builds up inside the eye, creating pressure that damages the nerve connecting the eye to the brain, and if left untreated, leads to a permanent reduction in the ability to see

Example

Ryan is 68 and gets yearly eye exams because his father had glaucoma and lost his sight.

family history + regular screening context

The eye doctor told Sana the prescription drops would keep her eye pressure at a safe level.

treatment with prescription eye drops

Common collocations
  • develop glaucoma
  • diagnose glaucoma
  • treat glaucoma
  • manage glaucoma
  • glaucoma patient
  • glaucoma screening
  • glaucoma surgery
  • glaucoma drops
  • open-angle glaucoma
  • angle-closure glaucoma
  • glaucoma in both eyes
  • family history of glaucoma

Grammar Patterns

glaucoma is...

develop / diagnose / treat / manage glaucoma

Usage Note

Always an uncountable noun; do not say 'a glaucoma' or 'glaucomas'. Frequently appears in medical contexts with verbs like 'develop', 'diagnose', 'treat', and 'manage'.

Common Mistakes

My grandmother has glaucoma in her eyes.
My grandmother has glaucoma.
Glaucoma is already an eye condition, so 'in her eyes' is redundant.
She is curing her glaucoma with eye drops.
She is managing her glaucoma with eye drops.
Glaucoma is a chronic condition that cannot be cured, only controlled.

Word family

  • glaucomatous
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three are eye diseases that can cause vision loss, but they affect different parts of the eye and have different causes. Glaucoma results from increased pressure inside the eye that damages the optic nerve — it often starts with loss of side vision. A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, making vision look blurry or foggy, and it can be reversed with surgery. Macular degeneration damages the central part of the retina (the macula), causing loss of sharp central vision needed for reading or recognizing faces. Unlike the other two, glaucoma is most dangerous because it can progress silently without noticeable symptoms until significant sight is already lost.

cataract ↗macular degenerationglaucoma ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • family history of glaucoma
  • risk of glaucoma
  • signs of glaucoma
  • open-angle glaucoma
  • glaucoma in both eyes

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Glaucoma comes from the ancient Greek word 'glaukos', meaning 'bluish-gray' or 'gleaming'. Early Greek doctors used this term to describe the cloudy, bluish-gray appearance they saw in the eyes of patients with the condition. The word passed into Latin as 'glaucoma' and then entered English medical usage in the mid-1600s.

First known use

1885

1885, in the meaning defined above