Background: There are different etiologies related to glaucoma, with the involvement of different systems in the origin and development of the disease.
Methods: We performed a literature review.
Results: The data is divided, with an emphasis on five main topics: systemic disease, neurodegenerative disease, genetic disease, immunological disease, and aging of the trabecular meshwork. Older and recent important findings of each subject are reported to establish a relationship with glaucoma, and mention is made of some of the current research lines.
Conclusion: Glaucoma is a multifactorial disease with complex interaction of events at various levels of the organism. Study of the etiology should guide the search for new therapies.