Glaucoma

The sneak thief of sight

Glaucoma is known as the "sneak thief of sight" since, in its most common form, it can rob people of vision before they even know they have a problem! Most glaucoma doesn't hurt but does lead to irreversible vision loss over time. The earliest visual loss occurs in the peripheral vision, or side vision, so is not usually noticeable. By the time you can see the vision loss from glaucoma, the disease is far advanced and there's little that can be done for it. Nerve damage occurs in the eye when the intraocular pressure is higher than the eye can tolerate. Glaucoma can be caught early through regular complete eye examinations. It's more common as we age, so we recommend yearly eye exams for those over 60, or if a close family member has glaucoma. You should have an exam every two years for those ages 40-60. People with diabetes should have eye examinations every year regardless of their age.

Who is at risk for glaucoma?

There are certain categories of people who are have a higher risk of developing glaucoma, though anyone can get it. If you have one of the following risk factors for glaucoma, you need to have a complete eye examination at least every year or two: more often if recommended by your doctor:

• Age greater than 60
• An immediate family member with glaucoma (father, mother, sister, brother)
• Past injury to one or both eyes
• History of increased intraocular pressure found on a past eye examination
• History of Diabetes
• African ancestry
• Hispanic ancestry