January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month
More than 2.2 million Americans have the painless eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. for African-Americans and Hispanics.
More startling is that because glaucoma has no symptoms, half of all those with the disease don’t know they are in danger of losing their vision. While there is no cure, glaucoma can generally be managed through medication, surgery and/or a plan of care developed with an eye doctor. But, early detection is key.
Envision employee LeRoy Rolfe, lost his vision due to glaucoma.
“If I had taken better care of my eyes, I might have vision today,” he admits ruefully. “Anytime you’re not seeing perfectly, it’s good to see your eye doctor and check it out. That’s something I really didn’t do. I knew it was getting worse, but I kept hoping it was going to be all right.”
Because glaucoma is frequently inherited, Leroy is adamant that his family take the disease seriously.
“I insist that they get their eyes checked all the time,” he says. “This is very important when glaucoma is in the family. I wish I knew then what I know now.”
The single best thing you can do to protect yourself from glaucoma is to have an annual dilated eye exam administered by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. In a healthy eye, fluid flows in chambers from the back of the eye to the front—nourishing and cleansing the inside of the eye.
With glaucoma—a family of eye diseases that can cause vision loss through increased pressure in the eye—the pressure kills nerve cells in the optic nerve, the cable that sends information from the eye to the brain. As the cells die, vision is first reduced on the periphery, or sides—and then finally, in the center. Left untreated, glaucoma can cause total blindness.
Those at a higher risk for glaucoma include:
- People with a family history of glaucoma
- African-Americans older than 40
- Hispanics older than 60
- People with diabetes; this group is almost twice as likely to have glaucoma
- People with extreme nearsightedness
- People who have had long-term steroid use
For more information about glaucoma, download the Envision Glaucoma Brochure (El Glaucoma Brochure). Please be sure to visit your eye doctor annually - more often if you are experiencing problems or vision loss.