As you read this sentence, you could be going blind and not know it. Silently, without symptoms, glaucoma could be stealing your sight.
The best defense against glaucoma is detecting it early, said Andrew Iwach, MD, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, "Knowing you have glaucoma is one of the most important factors in treating the disease and preventing vision loss."
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually damage the optic nerve – the main conduit carrying visual information from the eye to the brain. Like a video camera with a weak cable link to a TV, the picture gets blurry.
Glaucoma is a treatable disease. Medication or surgery can slow or prevent further vision loss. Those who are potentially at risk must take the first step and get a complete eye exam.
In the high-risk category are:
- African Americans older than 40
- Hispanics
- People with a family history of glaucoma
- Anybody older than 60
- People with adverse health conditions, such as diabetes
- Those who have experienced a serious eye injury
- Those who are severely nearsighted
The National Institutes of Health estimates that 4.2 million Americans have glaucoma, but only half know it. As the second-leading cause of blindness in the world, glaucoma accounts for 12 percent of blindness in the United States. And with a rapidly aging Baby Boom generation, these numbers are expected to double in the next decade.
See your eye doctor, and ask to be checked.
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