National Glaucoma Awareness Month – January 2016
National Glaucoma Awareness Month:
Glaucoma is the Leading Cause of Preventable Blindness
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. It’s a time to spread the word about the harmful effects of the disease and its risks. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness, with 2.7 million people in the United States (and more than 60 million people worldwide) over the age of 40 currently suffering from the disease.
The Glaucoma Research Foundation calls Glaucoma “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. And because peripheral or side vision loss begins first, a person may not be aware he has the disease until he has lost a large amount of his sight. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing. That’s why it’s important to encourage seniors, and people of all ages, to receive a yearly eye exam. And January, National Glaucoma Awareness Month, is a great time to do so.
Although the most common forms of Glaucoma primarily affect middle-aged adults and the elderly, the disease has no age boundaries. It can affect people of all age groups, including infants and children. Those at high risk of getting the disease are African-Americans, individuals of Latino ancestry, persons over age 60, and immediate family members of those who have been diagnosed with glaucoma.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of multi-factorial, complex eye diseases with specific characteristics such as optic nerve damage and visual field loss. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires. It’s responsible for carrying images from the eye to the brain. While increased pressure inside the eye (called intraocular pressure or IOP) is usually present, even patients with normal range IOP can develop glaucoma.
There’s no specific level of elevated eye pressure that definitely leads to glaucoma; conversely, there is no lower level of IOP that will absolutely eliminate a person’s risk of developing glaucoma. That is why early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma is the key to preventing vision loss.
There’s no cure for glaucoma yet. However, medication or surgery can slow or prevent further vision loss. The appropriate treatment depends upon the type of glaucoma among other factors. Early detection is vital to stopping the progress of the disease.
Types of Glaucoma
There are two main types of glaucoma: primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and angle-closure glaucoma. These are marked by an increase of intraocular pressure (IOP), or pressure inside the eye. When optic nerve damage has occurred despite a normal IOP, this is called normal tension glaucoma. Secondary glaucoma refers to any case in which another disease causes or contributes to increased eye pressure, resulting in optic nerve damage and vision loss.
Help Raise Awareness
The National Eye Institute projects the number of people with Glaucoma will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58 percent increase. Experts estimate that half of them don’t know they have it. Combined with our aging population, an epidemic of blindness is looming if awareness isn’t raised about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision. Here are three ways you can help raise awareness:
- Talk to friends and family about glaucoma. If you have glaucoma, don’t keep it a secret. Let your family members know.
- Refer a friend to the web site glaucoma.org.
- Request to have a free educational booklet sent to you or a friend.
The best way to protect your sight from glaucoma is to get a comprehensive eye examination. Then, if you have glaucoma, treatment can begin immediately.
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BLOG Date: Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Writer: Ryan Allen