Fluid filled space inside the eye between the endothelium and the iris is the anterior chamber. This chamber is filled with aqueous humor. Glaucoma and hyphema are two pathologies in this area. Canal of Schlemm is blocked in the glaucoma and it leads to a problem of aqueous humor to flow out normally.
It results in fluid accumulation, increase in intraocular pressure and may eventually lead to blindness. In hyphema, the anterior chamber is filled with blood.
Pathology of Anterior Chamber
- Glaucoma: Damage of the optic nerve is seen in people with this disease. It leads to progressive, irreversible vision loss. Sometimes, it is associated with increased fluid pressure in the eye.
Glaucoma is developed due to significant risk factor known as raised intraocular pressure. If this disease is not treated, it may result in permanent optic nerve damage and lead to visual field loss, that can further progress to blindness.
- Hyphema: Hyphema is blood present in the front chamber (anterior) of the eye. Hyphemas are caused mainly by injury and may result in partial or complete vision loss.
- Intraocular pressure (IOP): It is the aqueous humor fluid pressure inside the eye. Tonometry is used to measure the fluid pressure in the eye. IOP is the main factor used to evaluate patients with glaucoma.
- Ocular hypertension: It is intraocular pressure which is higher than normal when the visual field loss or optic nerve damage is absent. Ocular hypertension can be treated with timolol, pilocarpine, clonidine and acetazolamide.
Aqueous humor which fills the chamber has many functions.
Functions
The following are some of the functions of aqueous humor:
- It helps in maintaining the intraocular pressure and it inflates the eye globe.
- Provides nutrition (e.g. Glucose and amino acids) for avascular ocular tissues: trabecular meshwork, posterior cornea, anterior vitreous and lens.
- It helps to carry away waste products of the above mentioned ocular tissues metabolism.
- Maintains proper energy consumption of the brain.
