Let’s take a look at Glaucoma
While you’re making your New Year’s resolutions don’t forget to make that appointment with your optometrist. There’s an eye disease with no early symptoms, no cure, and you may not even know you have it. That disease is called glaucoma, and it’s named for a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging your optic nerve (the nerve in the back of your eye). From the National Eye Institute: glaucoma “is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States.”
January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, and we want you to preserve your vision and maintain eye health for as long as possible. Since glaucoma has no early symptoms the only way to diagnose it is through a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Types of Glaucoma
The most common type is called open-angle glaucoma. Other types that are less common include:
- Angle-closure glaucoma
- Congenital glaucoma
Symptoms
At the beginning stages of disease glaucoma doesn’t usually have symptoms. As the disease progresses you may slowly lose your peripheral vision.
Risk Factors
Some individuals are at higher risk for Glaucoma. Including those who:
- Are over age 60
- Have a family history of glaucoma
- People with diabetes
Treatment
- Medicine. Prescription eye drops are the most common treatment for glaucoma
- Laser treatment works to lower the pressure in the eye
- Surgery is used in the event that medicines and laser treatment do not work
How to Prevent Vision Loss
Although currently the cause of glaucoma is unknown, glaucoma is linked with high eye pressure. Treatments to lower eye pressure help slow the disease.
Glaucoma has no cure, but starting treatment early can help stop vision loss.
If you are experiencing low vision due to glaucoma there are resources to aid you in managing your daily activities.
For more information, please visit:
Glaucoma.org https://glaucoma.org/learn-about-glaucoma/patient-resources/low-vision-resources/
CDC.gov https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/resources/features/glaucoma-awareness.html
NEI.NIH.gov https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/glaucoma