Glaucoma is an umbrella term, as you now know. I cannot name every type of glaucoma. I'll start a list and we can collectively complete it. However, as a patient, you usually only need to know the type of glaucoma you have. And it may be sufficient to understand the broad categories, which are:
Primary open-angle glaucoma: the most common type in the United States. It is also known as wide angle, chronic, simple, or just plain "glaucoma".
Normal-tension glaucoma: discussed here: What the heck is normal tension glaucoma?? | Ask FitEyes
Low-tension glaucoma: this term is often used interchangeably with normal-tension glaucoma, but some professionals make a distinction between these terms based on IOP ranges, and I prefer that approach now.
Acute angle-closure glaucoma: also called narrow-angle, congestive or acute glaucoma. It is a medical emergency when it happens. Those at risk can be identified by an eye exam. Having a tonometer and monitoring your IOP at home is extremely valuable for those at risk of angle closure. Narrow-angle glaucoma in general is the most common type of glaucoma in Japan and some other Asian regions.
Chronic angle-closure glaucoma: a variant of angle-closure glaucoma that happens more slowly and might not have any symptoms.
Congenital glaucoma: typically used to refer to glaucoma that is present at birth.
Neonatal glaucoma: as far as I know, another term for congenital glaucoma, but it is possible that some professionals make a distinction.
Juvenile glaucoma: although this term is sometimes used interchangeably with congenital glaucoma, I often see glaucoma specialists reserve this term for glaucoma that develops several years after birth or during the teenage years, which is how I prefer to use it.
Neovascular glaucoma: this results from extra blood vessels that cover the trabecular meshwork, a part of your eye where fluid drains out. It’s often a consequence of diabetes or high blood pressure.
Pigmentary glaucoma: pigment from your iris (the colored part of your eye surrounding the pupil) is scraped off (due to anatomically close structures in some peoples' eyes); the pigment interferes with fluid draining out of your eye.
Exfoliation glaucoma: also called pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, is another type of glaucoma where material is deposited into the eye's drainage systems and blocks fluid from draining normally.
Inflammatory glaucoma: glaucoma connected with inflammation (see next item).
Uveitic glaucoma: a type of Inflammatory glaucoma; can happen in people who have uveitis, a condition that causes swelling and inflammation in the eye.
Traumatic glaucoma: eye injuries can also cause glaucoma.
Postsurgical glaucoma: a type of traumatic glaucoma.
Phacogenic glaucoma: a type of Angle-closure glaucoma due to a mature cataract.
Hemolytic glaucoma: also known as erythroclastic glaucoma.
Drug-induced glaucoma or steroid induced glaucoma
And others: probably lots of others
Thanks, and wow.
I have steroid-induced glaucoma. I had no clue it was considered a separate condition, but now I can understand why: it didn't start as pressure build-up from a problem with the "plumbing" in my eye; the pressure build-up arose as a reaction to the steroid. Correct?
One other thing, for clarification: my story illustrates a type of secondary glaucoma, yes? i.e., caused by something else (for me, steroids). Primary glaucoma is pressure build-up that arises on its own, yes?
Oh, and now that I know mine is secondary, how do I know if it's open or closed angle?
Maybe we should create a summary table someday of all the types and their traits. Most people might not care, but some of us will be interested in looking at patterns to understand similarities.
Please ask a new question: "How do I know if I have open or closed angle glaucoma?" Thank you.