Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the US, is a disease of the optic nerve that starts by damaging the peripheral vision and eventually leads to total blindness. There are often no symptoms or pain associated with the onset of glaucoma. The silent disease affects m...ore than 3 million Americans, but over half of them don’t even know it that they have it, according to Prevent Blindness America. Vision loss from glaucoma cannot be restored, which is why early detection is so important. If glaucoma is detected early, there is treatment available – such as medicines, laser surgery, and/or conventional surgery - to slow or stop vision loss and reduce the risk of blindness. While anyone can get glaucoma, individuals at higher risk include African Americans over age 40, everyone over age 60, people who have had severe eye trauma, or those with a family history of glaucoma. Photo taken from: http://www.visionsource-drday.com/images/glaucoma.jpg