This month is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. January is an important time to raise awareness and spread the word about glaucoma, its symptoms and its treatment. The disease is considered the “silent thief of sight” as there are virtually no symptoms associated with it and once vision is lost, it’s gone for good. As much as 40% of vision can be lost before any sort of change is noticed. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Currently there is no cure for glaucoma, but with early detection and treatment, its effects can be slowed down and further vision loss can be prevented. Over 2.7 million Americans, and over 60 million people worldwide, have glaucoma. Experts estimate that half of these individuals don’t even know that they have the disease. With these numbers growing, it is very important to not only receive regular eye examinations, but to help raise awareness about the disease as well.
glaucoma primarily affect people who are middle-aged and the elderly, it can affect people of all ages. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve acts like an electrical cable with over a million wires and is responsible for carrying images from the eye to the brain. There’s no cure yet for glaucoma, but with medication or surgery, further vision loss can be prevented. 