January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month. It’s the perfect time to make sure your eyes are in top shape. While the idea of vision loss is scary, knowing the facts is your first and best line of defense.
Glaucoma is often called the silent thief of sight. This group of eye diseases damages your optic nerve which is the cable that carries images from your eyes to your brain. Typically, fluid buildup increases pressure inside the eye and causes this damage. Because this process happens slowly, most people fail to notice their fading vision until the damage becomes severe.
Why We Call It Silent
The most common form, open-angle glaucoma, has no early warning signs. You won’t feel pain or physical pressure, and your vision may even seem perfectly clear. However, by the time you notice tunnel vision or struggle to see objects off to your side, permanent damage has already set into the nerve. Since you cannot recover vision lost to glaucoma, early detection remains the only way to stop the thief in its tracks.
Understanding Your Personal Risk
While anyone can develop this condition, certain factors require you to stay extra vigilant. Therefore, we encourage our community to monitor these primary risks.
Family History: If a parent or sibling has glaucoma, your risk increases four to nine times. Make it a point to ask your relatives about their eye health during your next family gathering.
Age: Risk begins to climb after age 40 and jumps significantly once you pass 60. In fact, about 5% of people over 65 deal with this disease.
Ethnicity: Glaucoma stands as the leading cause of blindness for African Americans and Hispanics. Specifically, African Americans are 6 to 8 times more likely to develop the disease than Caucasians, often seeing symptoms a full decade earlier.
Medical Conditions: If you live with diabetes, your risk of developing glaucoma actually doubles. High blood pressure also increases your vulnerability to eye complications.
The Eye Exam
A standard vision screening for glasses simply cannot catch glaucoma. Instead, an eye doctor uses special drops to widen your pupils during a dilated exam. This allows them to look directly at the optic nerve to spot trouble early. It is quick, painless, and represents the only true way to catch the disease before it changes your life.
How often should you schedule an exam?
- Under 40: Every 5 to 10 years.
- Ages 40 to 54: Every 1 to 3 years.
- Ages 55 to 64: Every 1 to 2 years.
- Ages 65+: Every year.
(Note: If you fall into a high-risk group, your doctor will likely recommend more frequent visits.)
We Want You To See Clearly
We know that clear vision keeps you connected to the people and places you love. Whether you are enjoying a book at home, or driving out to the Wichita Mountains, we want your eyes to stay healthy for every moment. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Schedule an eye exam with your primary care doctor today!
Resources:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma
https://www.nei.nih.gov/eye-health-information/eye-conditions-and-diseases/glaucoma
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