Glaucoma Takes Sight Without Warning

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Glaucoma Takes Sight Without Warning

Sight Unseen: Glaucoma Takes Sight without Warning—How to Protect Yourself

What are you going to do differently this year? Take better care of yourself? Will you exercise more, eat healthier, or make an effort to see the doctor as often as you should?

Finding time in your busy schedule to implement those well-intentioned resolutions often proves challenging. But don’t underestimate the importance of those doctor visits – and more specifically, visits to your optometrist.

A visit to the optometrist may not only improve your vision, but can also provide relief from other potential eye related problems such as allergies and bacterial infections. In addition, optometrists are able to render comprehensive eye examinations which include an array of tests to diagnose glaucoma as well as many other eye and systemic diseases.

You’ve probably heard of glaucoma, but many people don’t know how it can affect – and how quickly it can take – your eyesight. Glaucoma affects more than three million Americans, but more than half of them don’t even know they have it, according to Prevent Blindness America.

Glaucoma can develop in one or both eyes. At first, there are no symptoms. Vision stays normal, and there is no pain. However, as the disease progresses, a person with glaucoma may notice his or her side vision gradually failing. That is, objects in front may still be seen clearly, but objects to the side may be missed.

Without treatment, people with glaucoma will slowly lose their peripheral (side) vision. They seem to be looking through a tunnel. Eventually, straight-ahead vision may decrease until no vision remains.

Like many diseases, some factors can increase the risk of developing glaucoma, such as age, race or genetics. Glaucoma usually affects one in 200 people by age 50, and as many as one in 10 people by age 80. The risk of developing glaucoma is much higher among African Americans: four to five times higher. In fact, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African Americans. Not only do African Americans usually develop glaucoma 10 years earlier than Caucasians, they are also six to 15 times more likely to be blinded by the disease.

What’s really alarming is that nearly 20 percent of adults have never been to an optometrist, and more than 60 percent of respondents thought glaucoma was preventable, according to the American Optometric Association’s (AOA) American Eye-Q™ survey. Glaucoma cannot be prevented, but if diagnosed and treated early, it can be controlled. This reinforces what the National Optometric Association and the AOA already recommend: adults need regular, comprehensive eye exams. Fortunately, Medicare covers annual glaucoma screenings for people considered at heightened risk of developing glaucoma, such as individuals with diabetes, those with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans age 50 and older and Hispanic Americans age 65 and older.

So start off the new year right: set up an appointment with your optometrist – and maybe hit the gym and grab a salad on your way home.

To locate a Michigan Optometric Association doctor, visit www.themoa.org and click the Vision Care tab.

[Editor’s note: To schedule an interview with Dr. Gregory Dotson, or receive a copy of the American Eye-Q® survey, please contact Rita Sitto at (313) 567-5008.]

About the Michigan Optometric Association

The mission of the Michigan Optometric Association is to unite all licensed optometrists and be the representative voice for the profession of optometry in Michigan. The association provides education, information and other member services to assist optometrists in practicing successfully in accordance with the highest standards of patient care; works to advance the quality and accessibility of optometric services throughout the state and seeks to ensure the recognition of optometrists as the primary providers of vision and related eye health care.

The AOA provides a Glaucoma/Physician Referral program that matches Medicare patients (65 and older) with participating optometrists in their area: (800) 262-3947.

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