January – Glaucoma Awareness Month
Posted January 30, 2017 by Mandy Smith in Blind and Low Vision, Independent Living
Though January is almost over there is still time to learn about Glaucoma.
- Currently over 3 million people in the United States have Glaucoma
- It is estimated that half of those people don’t know they have it
- There is no symptoms and once vision is lost it is permanent
- Glaucoma is the leading cause of PREVENTABLE blindness
- It is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans
- There are multiple types of glaucoma most affect middle age but it can occur at any age
- Best way to protect yourself is yearly eye exams
There are many resources available for more information.
http://www.glaucoma.org/news/glaucoma-awareness-month.php
https://nei.nih.gov/nehep/programs/glaucoma/keep-vision-in-your-future-toolkit-download
https://nei.nih.gov/sites/default/files/nehep-pdfs/GlaucomaFactSheet_2015.pdf