Combating the ‘Silent Thief of Sight’
As part of January’s National Glaucoma Awareness Month, Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading patient advocacy organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight, is providing patients, care partners, and allied health professionals with free educational resources on the condition.
According to the National Eye Institute, glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging the optic nerve. Generally, symptoms begin slowly, usually starting with loss of peripheral (side) vision. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘silent thief of sight’ because people with glaucoma often do not notice vision loss in its early stages.
“There is currently no cure for glaucoma. However, as with many eye diseases and conditions, early detection and treatment can slow significant vision loss. That’s why access to affordable quality eyecare is essential for everyone.”
There are several types of glaucoma, with the two most common being primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. Other important types include normal-tension glaucoma and secondary glaucoma, caused by injury or other conditions like diabetes. While rare, glaucoma can also occur in children and includes congenital glaucoma in babies.
Common risk factors for glaucoma include:
• Age: 60 years or older (over age 40 for African-Americans)
• Race/ethnicity: African American, Hispanic, Asian, or of Native American descent.
• Family history: Parent, brother, sister, or anyone related by blood with glaucoma.
• Medical history: History of high pressure in the eyes, previous eye injury, long-term steroid use, head trauma, or nearsightedness.
• Diabetes: Adults with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma. The risk increases with the amount of time someone has had diabetes.
“There is currently no cure for glaucoma. However, as with many eye diseases and conditions, early detection and treatment can slow significant vision loss,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “That’s why access to affordable quality eyecare is essential for everyone.”
Prevent Blindness offers a collection of free, expert-approved resources at preventblindness.org, including downloadable fact sheets, a listing of glaucoma financial assistance resources, shareable social media graphics, and a dedicated webpage.
Prevent Blindness and Responsum Health invite the public to join the Glaucoma Community, a free platform (responsumhealth.com/the-glaucoma-community) that provides educational glaucoma content, a personalized newsfeed, a moderated community chat, and a dedicated Facebook group. The community is offered in multiple languages and is available via a web browser or through a free mobile app for Apple or Android users.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. Prevent Blindness will also host a free webinar, “Critical Conversations About Glaucoma.” This discussion is designed for people living with glaucoma, their care partners, and family members, and offers practical guidance, reassurance, and support.
Topics include understanding glaucoma from the start, how to describe vision changes, proper use of glaucoma eye drops, managing the emotional impact of a diagnosis, and talking with family about hereditary risk and eye exams.
The “Critical Conversations About Glaucoma” webinar will be moderated by Hillary Golden, founder of Glaucoma Coach and a Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program graduate. Speakers will include Dr. Karen Allison, associate professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, and a Prevent Blindness board of directors member; and Dr. Pathik Amin, visiting associate professor of Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Service, Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago. Register at preventblindness.org/glaucoma-webinar.
