title: Natural history of glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present an overview of the recent observations and research that shed light on the understanding of open and closed angle glaucoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Glaucoma is a major eye problem afflicting millions of people worldwide. As the population increases, the number of people with glaucoma also increases, with glaucoma becoming an increasing public health concern. This paper presents the natural history of open angle and angle closure glaucoma. We examine the glaucomatous progression in terms of changes in optic disk morphology and visual fields as well as the risk factors for progression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This present review highlights the magnitude of glaucoma globally and the need for a greater understanding of this disease and its natural progression.
authors.affiliation: Doheny Eye Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varma
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D014794:Visual Fields