The group is offering educational resources.
(Press Release) Prevent Blindness and other eye health organizations have declared January as National Glaucoma Awareness Month in an effort to help educate the public on the disease, including risk factors and treatment options.
Glaucoma currently affects nearly 3 million people ages 40 and older, according to the Prevent Blindness report “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems.” By the year 2032, the number is projected to increase nearly 50 percent to 4.3 million and by more than 90 percent to 5.5 million by 2050, due significantly to the large aging population in the U.S.
“Fortunately, the damaging effects of glaucoma can be lessened if detected and treated early,” said Hugh R. Parry, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “We urge everyone, especially those ages 40 and older, to make an appointment for a dilated eye exam from an eyecare professional today. Please don’t put off your chance for healthy vision until tomorrow!”
According to a recent National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division consensus study, in relation to glaucoma, physiological changes related to the aging process alter the physical conditions under which light enters the eye or compromise the cellular function or neural pathways that relay information about the physical environment to the eye or the brain. Additionally, the report states that in the early and intermediate stages of glaucoma, changes in vision may not be noticeable without a dilated eye examination, despite ongoing damage to structures of the visual system.
For more information on glaucoma or financial assistance programs, including Medicare coverage, call Prevent Blindness at (800) 331-2020 or visit http://www.preventblindness.org/glaucoma. Download a copy of the NASEM report here.