Transcript
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to learn more about the disease.
Millions of Americans have glaucoma.
And half of those people don’t even know they have it.
Glaucoma is called the “sneak theif of sight.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately three million people have it, and it’s the second leading cause of blindness.
There are no symptoms, and you can lose up to 40-percent of your vision before even realizing it.
And the vision loss is permanent.
The CDC warns those with a higher risk of getting glaucoma have a family history of the disease, are over 60 years old or African-American and over 40, or have diabetes.
Whatever the risk, make sure you’re taking the steps to protect your eye sight.
Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam by the age of 40.
Talk to your family to see if there is history of vision loss.
And make sure to maintain a healthy weight and control your blood pressure.
If glaucoma is caught early, you can prevent further sight complications with the help of eye drops, oral medication, or surgery.
Original story – 1.15.20