Glaucoma, hidden right out in the open

To start this year, January is National Glaucoma month.  Glaucoma is an eye disease that is on my mind every day, but most people don’t ever think about!  Most people believe that it is the “sneak thief of sight” because of how damaging it can be to our vision without us ever knowing it.  Glaucoma doesn’t hurt, cause red eyes, or acutely change our vision, so it’s only noticed during an eye exam.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve (inside the eye) and happens when healthy nerve fibers carrying images and information to the brain degenerate.  When this is happening, people lose their peripheral vision first, and because of this can lose nearly half of their vision before they even notice!

The good thing about glaucoma is that with some simple eye tests during an eye exam, including checking eye pressure and looking directly at the nerve, I can begin to determine the risk for the disease very easily.  For my patients, we can check pressures without drops or the dreaded “air puff” and also take it a step further by recording a screening photo of the optic nerve.  This allows me to compare images in the future.  Even a little change to your optic nerve throughout a lifetime will be noticed.

January’s Glaucoma Awareness Month has the mission to get everyone screened for this blinding disease.  So in this new year if you, a friend, or a family member has been putting off an eye check, add it to your New Years resolution!