Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

Call (916) 872-9000 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

Posted by Joe DeMeo, January 18, 2018

Often, once a patient has been diagnosed with glaucoma, he or she has already lost some of their vision. In fact, glaucoma is called “the sneak thief of sight”, due to the fact that there are no noticeable symptoms at first. Vision loss is so gradual, that up to 40 percent can be lost before the patient realizes something is wrong.

Glaucoma actually refers to a group of eye diseases, rather than one specific ailment. For various reasons, the optic nerve is damaged, leading to a gradual worsening of vision and eventual blindness. Glaucoma primarily affects middle-aged and older people, although less common forms of the disease can strike younger people as well.

More than 3 million Americans have glaucoma, and experts estimate that about half of them are unaware of their condition. It’s important to be on guard against the symptoms of glaucoma, because early detection leads to the best treatment outcome. There is no cure for glaucoma at this time, but certain medications or surgical treatments can slow the progression of vision loss.

Are you at high risk? Glaucoma can strike anyone, but becomes more common as we age. People of certain ethnicities (African, Asian, or Hispanic descent) are at higher risk. If you have a close family member with glaucoma, or you’re severely nearsighted, you are more likely to develop glaucoma. Diabetes is another personal risk factor.

Attend regular eye exams. The most important thing you can do is to attend regular vision screenings. Yes, even people who feel their vision is “just fine” should see an eye doctor regularly! Schedule a yearly examination with your eye care professional, who will test you for early signs of glaucoma.

With glaucoma being the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, January has been established as Glaucoma Awareness Month. If you or a loved one haven’t visited your eye doctor in the past year, schedule an appointment now. Talk to him or her about the early signs of glaucoma, so that you are more likely to recognize it in the event that you or a loved one are ever affected.

Need more information on your insurance options?

Contact us online to learn more

Contact Us

Close Accessibility Tools
Accessibility Controls Reset
Content Adjustments
Font Size

Default

Line Height

Default

Content Scaling

Default

Highlight Titles
Highlight Links
Highlight Forms
Align Left
Align Center
Align Right
Focus Mode
Color Adjustments
Desaturate
Monochrome
Contrast

Default

Saturation

Default

Accessibility Statement

Despite our attempts to make this website accessible for everyone, there may still be some pages or sections that are not completely accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or do not have a suitable technological solution to make them accessible. Nevertheless, we are always striving to enhance our accessibility by adding, updating, improving its options and features, and incorporating new technologies.

We want to provide our users with the best experience possible, so we strive to support as many browsers and assistive technologies as possible.

If you wish to contact this website's owner, please use the contact form on the website.

Our User Interface Adjustment Options

Font adjustments - With this tool, users can modify font size, style, letter spacing, and line height for improved alignment and readability.

Color adjustments - Users can customize their color contrast profiles to light, dark, desaturated, and monochrome.

Content highlighting - Users can prioritize key elements such as links, forms, and titles.

Content focus - Users can enable focus mode to highlight the current page information based on their mouse movement.

Close