National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Since January has been designated National Glaucoma Awareness Month, this post is intended to review the importance of early detection of glaucoma. Glaucoma is a class of ocular disorders that cause damage to the eye's optic nerve, which can cause irreversible blindness. If uncontrolled, glaucoma often initially results in peripheral vision loss and ultimately ends up causing a complete loss of vision. Glaucoma is considered to be the primary reason for avoidable vision loss and, according to estimates, over sixty million individuals worldwide have the disease.

The main source of glaucoma is thought to be an increase in pressure around the optic nerve. As pressure around the eye is elevated, this causes damage to the optic nerve which is responsible for delivering signals to the vision centers in the brain. When this pathway is damaged vision is affected. At the current time, damage to the optic nerve is usually permanent.

The most dangerous characteristic of glaucoma is that distinct from other forms of vision impairment, it is asymptomatic until it may be too late.
It is for this reason that glaucoma is known as the "sneak thief of sight." This may leave you wondering: how can one detect a disease which is asymptomatic?

Early detection of the disease is the key to effective treatment. While everyone may be at risk for glaucoma, certain groups are more at risk than others. Serious risk factors for glaucoma can include those over 45 years of age, individuals with a family history of glaucoma, individuals with a predisposition towards diabetes, or other eye conditions such as myopia, hyperopia, eye injuries or high intraocular pressure.

The best way to detect glaucoma is to find a qualified optometrist. There are a number of diagnostic eye tests relied on by doctors to check damage to the ocular nerves caused by glaucoma. Especially if you are over 45 or have one of the other risk factors named above, make sure to plan for a comprehensive eye exam annually.

It is unfortunate that most kinds of glaucoma cannot be prevented. Nevertheless the damage to the optic nerve and deterioration of vision can be halted by timely diagnosis and prompt treatment. Contact Christensen Eye Care now, for a yearly screening for glaucoma.