Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in African Americans
- Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in African Americans, who should begin glaucoma tests as early as age 35
- Glaucoma has many causes and elevated eye pressure is a factor in most. Pressure builds up in the eye due to problems with drainage of aqueous, a fluid produced in the eye
- Glaucoma can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve if left undetected and untreated. The optic nerve transmits information from the eye to the brain for processing
- Glaucoma results in a loss of peripheral or side vision initially, which affects your ability to move about safely. Over time, glaucoma can damage your central vision as well
- Glaucoma can also affect reading, because the loss of visual field can reduce the number of words you can see at one time
- Glaucoma is particularly dangerous to your vision because there are usually no noticeable symptoms initially. A comprehensive dilated eye exam is critical to detect changes that occur early in the optic nerve
- Having a dilated eye exam is especially recommended every one to two years for people who are at higher risk for glaucoma, everyone over age 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma
- Early treatment for glaucoma can usually (but not always) slow the progression of the disease
- However, as of yet, there is no cure for glaucoma
- For more detailed and patient-centered information about glaucoma detection, treatment, and everyday management, make an appointment at one of the Eye Institute branches
