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Glaucoma: The Sneak Thief of Sight
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by Valerie Robert
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More than a million Americans have glaucoma and do not even know
it! Once a person realizes that something is wrong, it is too late
to recover lost vision. I urge adults to schedule eye
exams routinely. Early detection and treatment of glaucoma can result in a reduction of
vision loss.
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The most common form of glaucoma results in vision problems when increased pressure within
the eye causes damage to the optic nerve. That increased pressure is
associated with poor drainage of excess fluid within the eye.
There are other types of glaucoma that do
not involve increased eye pressure. Once the optic nerve is
damaged, it will not recover, resulting in permanent vision loss.
Risk factors:
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Age - risk increases
with age, especially over the age of 60.
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Race -
African-Americans have four times the risk of other races.3
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Family history -
There is a genetic component, so if you have a family member
with glaucoma, you are more likely to have it also.
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Health history - If
you have diabetes, or have had an eye injury, your risk
increases.
If you have any of these
risk factors, the American Optometric Association recommends an eye
exam annually.4 Otherwise, an exam every two years
is important for early detection of eye disease.
An
article in the NY Times reported that many people skip eye
exams, even though they are often more afraid of losing their vision
than they are of other health risks.5
Since you are reading this, you probably already are taking care of
your eyes and getting regular exams. Do you know someone who is not?
Please remind them that they should not wait until they think there
might be a problem with their eyes; by then it could be too late to
prevent blindness.
Recommended resources:
1.
www.metwesteyecentre.com.au/pages/conditions_details.php?conditions_id=2
2.
adam.about.com/reports/Glaucoma.htm
3.
www.preventblindness.org/glaucoma/glaucoma_who.htm
4.
www.aoa.org/x5502.xml
5.
www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/health/21brody.html
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