Glaucoma Awareness: Know Your Glaucoma Risk Factors

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month and an important time to investigate your individual glaucoma risk. Your glaucoma risk is increased if:

• You are over 40 years old
• You are African American. Africa Americans are 6-8x more likely to get glaucoma and 6-8x more likely to have sever vision loss and blindness.
• You have diabetes. People with diabetes are 2x more likely to get glaucoma.
• You are Hispanic American. Hispanic Americans face an increased risk comparable to African Americans, but the disease may also progress faster as they age, compared with other ethnic groups.
• You are Asian American. Asians are at an increased risk for the less common types of glaucoma: Angle-Closure Glaucoma and Normal-Tension Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss, affecting about 3 million people in the United States. Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information to the brain, allowing us to see. Because glaucoma often progresses slowly, affecting just peripheral or side vision, people with glaucoma can lose most of their vision before they even experience any symptoms. Central vision, the vision used to read, drive or watch TV, is unaffected until the disease is advanced. Just because you think you can see well, doesn’t mean all is well. The key to preventing vision loss from glaucoma is early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

If you or someone you know needs a glaucoma eye exam please schedule an appointment today at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, NJ 07090 at (908) 789-8999, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, NJ 07059 at (908) 754-4800 or 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, NJ 08830 at (732) 636-7355, or visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or Facebook.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center, an affiliate of Prism Vision Group, is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is easy to reach for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.