It’s the first month of the new year—a time when
more than 40 percent of American adults make one or
more resolutions. What are your resolutions for the
new year? Losing weight? Quitting smoking? How about
learning more about glaucoma and how you can protect
your sight?
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage
the optic nerve of the eye and lead to vision loss
and blindness. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the
most common form. In this condition, fluid builds up
in the front chamber of the eye, and the optic nerve
is damaged by the resulting increase in eye
pressure. This potentially blinding eye disease
currently affects 2.7 million people nationwide, and
studies show that at least half of all people with
glaucoma do not know they have it.
“While anyone can develop glaucoma, we encourage
people at higher risk to get a comprehensive dilated
eye exam every one to two years,” said director Dr.
Paul Sieving of the National Eye Institute (NEI) of
the National Institutes of Health. “Individuals at
higher risk include African Americans age 40 and
over; everyone over the age of 60, especially
Mexican Americans; and people with a family history
of glaucoma.”
The prevalence of glaucoma is projected to reach
4.2 million by the year 2030 and 6.3 million by
2050. Last year, NEI invested $71 million on a wide
range of studies to understand causes and potential
areas of treatment for glaucoma.
“Primary open-angle glaucoma often has no early
warning signs,” said Dr. James Tsai, chair of the
Glaucoma Subcommittee for the NEI National Eye
Health Education Program. “Often, a person will not
experience any noticeable vision loss in the early
stages of glaucoma. But as the disease progresses, a
person may notice his or her side vision decreasing.
If the disease is left untreated, the field of
vision narrows and blindness may result.”
Glaucoma can be detected in its early stages
through a comprehensive dilated eye exam. During
this exam, drops are placed in your eyes to dilate,
or widen, the pupils. This allows your eye care
professional to examine the optic nerve for signs of
glaucoma and other vision problems. An eye pressure
test alone is not enough to detect glaucoma. “It’s
very important that people don’t wait until they
notice a problem with their vision to have an eye
exam,” adds Dr. Tsai.
If you have Medicare and
are African American age 50 or older, are
Hispanic/Latino age 65 or older, have diabetes, or
have a family history of glaucoma, you may be
eligible for a low-cost, comprehensive dilated eye
exam through the glaucoma benefit. Call
1–800–MEDICARE or visit
www.medicare.gov
for more information. To learn about other possible
financial assistance for eye care, visit
www.nei.nih.gov/health/financialaid.asp.
“It’s a new year,” said Dr. Sieving. “Make and
keep a resolution to maintain healthy vision.
Contact your local eye care professional and make
an appointment for a dilated eye exam today.”
For more information about glaucoma, visit
http://www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma or call NEI at
301–496–5248.
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