What condition is associated with increased intraocular pressure due to decreased outflow of aqueous humor?

The condition associated with increased intraocular pressure due to decreased outflow of aqueous humor is open-angle glaucoma. In this condition, there is a gradual blockage of the drainage canals, which leads to hindered outflow of aqueous humor. As a result, pressure within the eye rises, potentially damaging the optic nerve over time and leading to vision loss. Open-angle glaucoma is often asymptomatic in its early stages, making it particularly insidious, as many patients are unaware of their increasing intraocular pressure until significant damage has occurred.

Other choices like closed-angle glaucoma involve a more abrupt increase in intraocular pressure due to a different mechanism where the angle between the iris and cornea becomes narrowed or blocked. Conditions like cataracts and age-related macular degeneration do not primarily involve issues with aqueous humor outflow, but rather result from lens opacification or changes in the retina, respectively. Understanding these distinctions highlights why open-angle glaucoma is linked directly to increased intraocular pressure from impaired aqueous humor drainage.