Don’t Let Glaucoma Steal Your Sight!

January is Declared as Glaucoma Awareness Month

(Honolulu, Hawaii) January 12, 2023—- According to the CDC, roughly 3 million Americans have Glaucoma, and it is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Even more concerning, half of people with glaucoma do not know that they have it, due to a lack of early onset symptoms. In many cases, the condition is not diagnosed until irreversible eye and vision damage has occurred. That is why the American Association of Ophthalmology has dedicated the month of January as Glaucoma Awareness Month. To show support, Hawaiian Eye Center aims to raise awareness of what this sight-stealing condition is, as well as what is the best defense against Glaucoma related blindness.

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerves, usually caused by abnormally high eye pressure. Because this nerve connects the eyes to the brain, it is crucial for healthy and clear vision, and damage to this nerve results in vision loss or disturbances. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for those over the age of 60, though it can occur at any age.

Glaucoma usually affects both eyes, but it can be worse in one eye, and it is important to note you can still get glaucoma and have vision loss, even with normal eye pressure, if the optic nerves have been damaged. This is why it is important to maintain regular eye exams, especially past the age of 40.

Most forms of glaucoma, including the most common form of open angle glaucoma, have no warning signs or noticeable symptoms in its earlier stages (even blind spots in vision are often not noticeable) and are typically painless. This makes glaucoma very hard to detect without a diagnosis, and many do not know they have it until the damage is quite severe, or they have an attack. Damage to the optic nerves is irreversible, and vision loss from Glaucoma may progress fast and can cause permanent blindness in just a few years, if left untreated. This is why glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight”.

However, although symptoms may be hard to detect, it is helpful to be aware of these risk factors for glaucoma:

• Are over age 40
• Have family members with glaucoma
• Are of African, Hispanic, or Asian heritage
• Have high eye pressure
• Are farsighted or nearsighted
• Have had an eye injury
• Use long-term steroid medications
• Take certain drugs for bladder control or seizures, or some over-the-counter cold remedies
• Have sickle cell anemia or other autoimmune or inflammatory diseases
• have diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, or poor blood circulation or other health problems affecting the whole body

Fortunately, even for those that are prone to or have glaucoma, it can be maintained and vision loss, or further vision loss and blindness, can be prevented. In fact, most people who follow their treatment plan and maintain regular eye exams are able to keep their vision. However, it is important to remember that if you have any underlying medical conditions at play such as diabetes, you must be following that treatment plan as well.

Regular eye exams are the easiest and most effective way to detect glaucoma and prevent any vision loss or eye damage from happening. Even if you are not experiencing any symptoms, your doctor can check for factors such as; eye pressure, inspection of optic nerve health and drainage angle, and corneal thickness. They may also check your peripheral vision for any change.  If you are possibly at risk, they will also be able to let you know how often you should be examined. 

As Glaucoma Awareness Month continues, it is important to remember that in many cases, there are no symptoms to notice early on making this condition almost impossible to detect on your own. This means the best defense against Glaucoma related blindness is to receive regular dilated eye exam by a trained professional, especially for those over 40. As Dr. Steven Rhee of Hawaiian Eye Center states, “Glaucoma doesn’t have to mean vision loss, and with the proper treatment and management, you can keep and preserve your eyesight.”