Glaucoma Awareness Month: A Time to Protect Your Eyesight

By Dr. Kandis Y. Wyatt, PMP
Faculty Member, Transportation and Logistics

Of the five senses – sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing – eyesight is often described as the most important. According to Zeiss, up to 80% of our information about the world around us comes from our eyesight.

Human eyesight collects important information for the brain, such as an object’s color, proximity and depth. It enables us to make decisions when we see warning lights, signs or potential hazards.

Many people may not know that glaucoma, a medical condition where the eye’s optic nerve is damaged, is very common. In glaucoma’s most frequent form, there are virtually no symptoms. If left untreated, glaucoma can cause gradual vision loss and even total blindness.

During Glaucoma Awareness Month, it is important to raise your awareness of this eye disease and take steps to preserve your vision.

Glaucoma: The Second Leading Cause of Blindness Worldwide

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Vision loss begins with your peripheral or side vision, which is why most cases of blindness are undetectable in the early stages.

As much as 40% of your vision can be lost without notice. The World Health Organization estimates that 4.5 million people worldwide are blind due to glaucoma.

Over three million Americans and over 60 million people worldwide have glaucoma. According to Optos, The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58% increase.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for glaucoma. However, early detection can help individuals live full lives using medicines, laser treatments, and in the most severe cases, surgery. There are a few types of surgery that can help lower internal pressure in your eyes, including a trabeculectomy, glaucoma implant surgery and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS).

How to Know If You Have Glaucoma

The symptoms of this disease include blurred vision, glare, eye pain, headache and narrowed vision. According to the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP), this condition initially remains asymptomatic. Over time, other symptoms may appear, such as:

• Loss of peripheral or side vision
• Seeing halos around lights and glare in bright light
• Redness in the eye
• Eye pain
• Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
• Narrow or tunnel vision
• Vision loss

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. It is called “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once your vision is lost, it’s permanent.

The best way to protect your eyesight from this disease is to get a comprehensive eye examination on an annual basis.

Genetics and Race

Glaucoma disproportionately targets people of color and is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans. Among Hispanics, Asians and older age groups, the risk of this disease is nearly as high as that for African Americans.

Also, the siblings of persons diagnosed with this disease may have a significantly increased risk of experiencing glaucoma. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, “Genetic studies have suggested that more than 50 percent of glaucoma is familial. It’s very strongly hereditary, especially among siblings; the rate of glaucoma can be 10 times higher among individuals with a sibling who has glaucoma. It’s likely that at least 15 percent of glaucoma patients have at least one sibling who has glaucoma, and that individual may be totally unaware of the disease.”

As a result, anyone who is a blood relative of a diagnosed glaucoma patient should get an eye exam. There is a very real possibility of an epidemic of blindness in the future if we don’t raise awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision.

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Determining Your Risk for Vision Loss

How do you determine if you’re likely to develop this disease? Here are some risk factors to consider:

1. African Americans are six to eight times more likely to develop glaucoma.
2. People over the age of 60 are six times more likely to get this disease.
3. Family history increases the risk of glaucoma four to nine times.
4. People of Asian descent appear to be at increased risk for angle-closure glaucoma.
5. If you’ve used steroids in the past, your chances of contracting this disease increases.
6. Blunt trauma to the eye can cause injuries that penetrate the eye, damage the eye’s drainage system and increase your chance of developing traumatic glaucoma.
7. Sports-related injuries, such as those caused in boxing, can increase your chances of developing this disease.
8. If you have eye-related issues such as nearsightedness, your chances of developing glaucoma increase.
9. Hypertension increases your chances of developing glaucoma.

People who are at high risk for this disease should see a doctor now for a complete eye exam, including the use of eye dilation. Your eye doctor will tell you how often to have follow-up exams based on the results of this screening.

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Technology and Glaucoma

For those who have severe blindness due to glaucoma or other causes, there are numerous technological tools to provide assistance and help users navigate their surroundings;. In addition, technology enables remote surgeries to occur, where the doctor is in one location and the patient is in another location.

According to the National Institute of Health, laser treatments can help remove tissue from the eyes. For instance, a laser treatment called trabeculoplasty is used to treat open-angle glaucoma.

Prevention Starts Now

In the United States, approximately 120,000 people are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness. Here are some ways you can help raise public awareness of this disease:

1. Talk to your friends and family about this disease.
2. If you have glaucoma, don’t keep it a secret. Consult an eye doctor about treatment.
3. Tell friends and family if you’ve been diagnosed with this disease, especially if you have brothers or sisters.
4. Research treatment options such as surgery.
5. Take preventative action by getting regular eye exams that dilate your eyes.

Prevention starts with preparedness. Your eyesight is precious, and the best gift you can give yourself is an annual eye exam.