Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

Since January is glaucoma awareness month our doctors want to remind you about the importance of routine eye exams due to diseases like glaucoma. Most Americans do a great job getting routine dental exams scheduled or even seeing their family doctors for a routine physical. Tell us the truth, when was the last time you thought to have an eye exam to check your eye health? Most people would agree that next to life itself nothing is more important than our ability to see. Because vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible, it is important to schedule regular and complete eye exams.

Almost two and a half million people have this disease, but half do not realize it because there are often no warning symptoms. Glaucoma is known as the silent-thief of sight because it silently steals your vision without you even realizing it. If you do not have routine eye exams to check the status of your eye health glaucoma and other diseases will steal your vision. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S. and the leading cause of preventable blindness. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology Approximately 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older have glaucoma. “Too many people believe they can tell if they’re developing glaucoma,” says Dr. Gregory K. Harmon, Chairman of The Glaucoma Foundation and author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Glaucoma.