Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness for patients between the ages of 18-65 years of age. In fact is the second leading cause of blindness in the World according to the World Health Organization and it is thought to affect 65 million people worldwide.
Since Glaucoma doesn’t produce any noticeable disturbance in vision until it is advanced, only half of the people who have Glaucoma actually know that they have it. The most common type of Glaucoma is Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma and it is estimated that more than three million Americans over the age of 40 years old suffer from this form of Glaucoma.
Other national studies indicate that about 2% of the population between 40-50 years of age and 8% of the population over 70 years old have higher than normal Intraocular Pressure (IOP). Elevated Intraocular Pressure is one of the diagnostic signs that may indicate the presence of Glaucoma. Thus it is likely that there are another million people who may have Glaucoma, but have not yet been diagnosed because they do not have access to eye care or even Glaucoma screenings. Just in the United States alone, it is believed that there are approximately 120,000 patients who are believed to be legally blind from Glaucoma.
Glaucoma can be a somewhat confusing eye disease to fully understand as it is really not a single disease but is a collective term that describes a number of eye problems that damage the optic nerve and can potentially cause loss of sight. A common misunderstanding is that Glaucoma is only a high pressure in the eye. The pressure within the eye is called the Intraocular Pressure (IOP) and usually falls within some range that is considered “normal”. An elevated Intraocular Pressure (IOP) can be one cause of Glaucoma, and is considered to be the most common cause of Glaucoma. But, a high IOP may not be the only cause of Glaucoma. There are many possible causes of Glaucoma. Regardless of the cause, the various types of Glaucoma share a common factor-without early detection, diagnosis and control, Glaucoma can result in permanent vision loss and potentially blindness.
The most alarming characteristics of Glaucoma are that its onset begins very slowly and without visual symptoms. Glaucoma is often referred to as the “sneak thief” of vision because unless you have routine eye examinations it is entirely possible to have a higher than normal Intraocular Pressure (IOP) and vision loss and simply not know it.
Drs. Alterman, Modi and Wolter strongly recommend a Glaucoma evaluation every 2 years for patients over the age of 50 who have no previous family history of Glaucoma, are free of other health issue such as diabetes or high blood pressure and who have no other known Glaucoma risk factors. If there is any family history of Glaucoma at all, or any other general health problems or known Glaucoma risk factors, Drs. Alterman, Modi and Wolter recommend that you be evaluated for Glaucoma every year beginning at 40.
Further, if any of your siblings has been diagnosed with Glaucoma or suspected to have Glaucoma, there is considerable risk that you too will develop Glaucoma.
The Nottingham Glaucoma Study, reported that the siblings of Glaucoma patients are 5 times the risk for developing Glaucoma by the age of 70 and therefore should be examined every year.
