What Is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your eye’s optic nerve and gets worse over time. It’s often linked to a buildup of pressure inside your eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.
The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to your brain. If the damage continues, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.
Most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain. You need to see your eye doctor regularly so she can diagnose and treat glaucoma before long-term visual loss happens.
If you’re over age 40 and have a family history of the disease, you should get a complete eyeexam from an eye doctor every 1 to 2 years. If you have health problems like diabetes or a family history of glaucoma or are at risk for other eye diseases, you may need to go more often.
Often called the “sneak thief of sight,” glaucoma refers to a group of eye diseases that damage the nerves carrying images from the eye to the brain. Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the National Eye Institute. A study published in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology estimates that 2.2 million Americans have the disease, but half don’t know it. Glaucoma usually produces no symptoms until the disease has progressed to the point of damaging a person’s sight.
Although glaucoma has no cure, it can be controlled and vision can be maintained if it is detected early. That’s why comprehensive eye examinations are recommended at least every two years after age 35 for those at increased risk for the disease. Although anyone can get glaucoma, the risk is higher for those over age 60, those who have a family history of the condition and African Americans. Older Hispanics/Latinos are also at elevated risk, the highest prevalence being among those of Mexican descent.Read More
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