According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, “Currently, more than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma.” It is called the “sneak thief of sight” because there are no symptoms and vision loss is permanent once it occurs. The month of January has been recognized as National Glaucoma Awareness Month to raise awareness and to spread the word about this disease.
The organization, Prevent Blindness, predicts that cases of glaucoma are predicted to increase significantly soon due to the aging of the population. “As the population of the United States ages, the number of age-related eye disease cases is projected to grow,” says Prevent Blindness, “ Glaucoma, one of the most common eye diseases, currently affects nearly 3 million people 40 and older, according to the Prevent Blindness report.”
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suggests that everyone should know their glaucoma risk as anyone can get glaucoma. However, some groups are at higher risk. According to the CDC, these groups include, “African-Americans over age 40, all people over age 60, people with a family history of glaucoma, and people who have diabetes.”
Consult your healthcare provider to assess your risk for glaucoma and steps to prevent vision loss before it is too late. You may walk-in to any of our convenient Primary Medical Care Center community clinics, or you may schedule an appointment by visiting our website at www.primarymed.com, or call (305)751-1500 for our Miami-Dade clinic, or (954)289-0000 for our Broward clinic.
Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/features/glaucoma-awareness/index.html
https://www.preventblindness.org/free-information-available-public-glaucoma-awareness-month
https://www.glaucoma.org/news/glaucoma-awareness-month.php