There is a silent thief stealing from millions of Americans who don’t even know they have been victimized. Without warning, the scrupulous villain ruins occupations, robs simple pleasures, and changes lives without regard for gender, ethnicity, or age. No one can stop it—except the optometrist?
Otherwise known as “The Silent Thief of Sight” for the way it causes irreversible damage without symptoms, Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the US---and nearly half of those affected don’t even know they have it.
Glaucoma is a condition of high fluid pressure in the eyes that damages the optic nerve. The condition can be triggered by heavy fluid se-cretion, physical damage, inflammation, or other insults that increase pressure and damage the nerve over time. Often, there are unnoticed symptoms until permanent blindness occurs, changing the lives of millions of Ameri cans without warning.
The National Eye Institute Glaucoma Awareness Campaign focuses on early detection and education of vulnerable populations more susceptible to the disease. At risk populations include anyone over the age of 65, African American over 40, Hispanic/Latino of any age, or those with a family history of the diagnosis.
Interventions are focused on treating the cause of the excessive pressures to prevent blindness and encouraging eye care and exams for early detection. The only way to detect the disease is with a dilated eye exam from an eye doctor who can detect increased pressures or optic nerve damage before it leads to blindness.
Treatments for glaucoma are symptom based and include eyedrops or systemic medications to reduce pressure and fluid production or surgery to promote drainage. There is no cure. Nutritional supplements like vitamins a,e, and c, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids promote general eye health.
There are five key facts to know about Glaucoma:
1. It is incurable and is the leading cause of permanent vision loss and blindness.
2. There are no early symptoms.
3. Nearly three million Americans have it and half of those affected don’t know until it’s too late.
4. Anyone can have the disease, but ages 60 and older and non-white ethnicities are at greater risk.
5. One way to detect it. Get a dilated eye exam routinely.
To facilitate early detection, The American Academy of Ophthalmology developed the Eye Care America program to facilitate referrals for free or low-cost evaluations for seniors and those at risk. The online referral center is available at www.eyecareamerica.org or they can be reached at 877-887-6327.
Additional information and resources can be found at the National Eye Institute resource page www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma or at www.glaucoma.org