January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
– Hellen Keller –

The month of January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is a group of multi-factorial, complex eye diseases and the leading cause of preventable blindness. It is sometimes called “the sneak thief of the sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it will be permanent. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. According to a renowned eye doctor, glaucoma is a condition where the optic nerve is damaged due to fluid pressure that builds up in the eye. Under normal conditions, the eye continuously produces a fluid that circulates and flows out of the front part of the eye. But if you have a glaucoma disease, the fluid leaves the eye at a slower rate which damages the nerve. He said that nerve damage is progressive and irreversible.

High risks to glaucoma are the African American and Latino populations and persons over 60 which in the United States more than 3 million people are affected. It is also hereditary. The most common type of glaucoma primarily affects middle-age adults and the elderly.

There is no cure for glaucoma yet. Medication or surgery can only slow down further loss of vision. The best to protect your vision from this disease is to get an eye examination with an ophthalmologist. Everyone over the age of 40 should have an eye screening examination as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Let’s help spread awareness or share information about glaucoma to everyone. Start with our family, friends and neighbors.