Glaucoma Takes Sight without Warning, Learn How to Protect Yourself

What are your plans for this coming year and what do you plan to do differently? Will you exercise more, eat healthier, or make an effort to see the doctor as often as you should? Making time in our busy schedules to implement those well-intentioned resolutions often proves quite challenging. But don’t underestimate the importance of doctor visits – and more specifically, visits to your Optometrist.

A quick trip to your optometrist may not only be sight-saving but potentially life-saving. Optometrists can evaluate the health of your eyes and clarity of vision and they can also detect chronic and systemic diseases such as glaucoma, diabetes and even hypertension.

What’s Glaucoma?

You’ve probably heard of glaucoma, but many people don’t know how it can affect – and how quickly it can take – your eyesight. Glaucoma affects more than three million Americans, but over half of them don’t even know that they have it, according to Prevent Blindness America.

How does Glaucoma effect your eye sight?

Glaucoma begins by attacking peripheral vision, typically causing objects to appear less clearly. At first, it is possible to compensate by squinting or turning the head to focus better. But be careful. These changes may seem minor, but glaucoma can accelerate quickly; causing eyesight to rapidly and irreversibly deteriorate.

Who is at risk of developing Glaucoma?

Like many diseases certain factors can increase your risk of developing glaucoma, including age, race and genetics.  Glaucoma usually affects one in 200 people by age 50, but as many as one in 10 people by age 80. The risk of developing glaucoma is much higher among African Americans: four to five times higher. In fact, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African Americans. Not only do African Americans usually develop glaucoma 10 years earlier than Caucasians, they are also six to 15 times more likely to be blinded by the disease.

Can Glaucoma be prevented?

Glaucoma cannot be prevented, but if diagnosed and treated early, it can be controlled. This reinforces what the National Optometric Association and the American Optometric Association already recommend: adults need regular, comprehensive eye exams. Fortunately, Medicare covers annual glaucoma screenings for people considered at heightened risk of developing glaucoma, such as individuals with diabetes, those with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans age 50 and older and Hispanic Americans age 65 and older.

So start off the new year right: set up an appointment with your optometrist – and maybe hit the gym and grab a salad on your way home.

Medicare patients at high risk for glaucoma can receive dilated eye examinations as a benefit of Medicare coverage. Currently eligible beneficiaries are individuals with diabetes mellitus, individuals with a family history of glaucoma, Hispanic-Americans age 65 and over, and African-Americans age 50 and over. For more information about Glaucoma speak with Dr. Bryant Vo in our office, who is certified in the detection as well as treatment of glaucoma.