Glaucoma Disease Glossary
Navigating a diagnosis of an age-related disease can be overwhelming, especially with all the new medical terms involved. Whether you're preparing for a doctor’s visit or simply want to better understand a glaucoma diagnosis, this glossary serves as a quick reference to help you define and understand commonly used terms.
Retinal pigmented epithelium
A layer of cells that protects and nourishes the retina, removes waste products, prevents new blood vessel growth into the retinal layer, and absorbs light not absorbed by the photoreceptor cells; these actions prevent the scattering of the light and enhance clarity of vision.
Rods
Photoreceptor nerve cells in the eyes that are sensitive to low light levels and are present in the retina, but outside the macula
Sclera
The tough outer coat that protects the entire eyeball.
Secondary glaucoma
A broad term that encompasses many types of glaucoma that are the result of certain medical conditions in the eye or the body.
Tau
A protein that stabilizes the tube-like skeleton of a nerve cell (neuron), which transports molecules, like nutrients, across the cell. Tau is associated with multiple brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
Tau tangles
A buildup of abnormal tau results in thread-like structures called tangles, commonly observed in Alzheimer’s disease.