TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, dedicated to spreading knowledge of the disease that, according to the CDC, affects almost 3,000,000 Americans and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Glaucoma is a disease that attacks the eye’s optic nerves, which can lead to vision loss and blindness, according to the CDC. It is sometimes called “the silent thief” of vision because many people do not know they have the disease due to a frequent lack of early symptoms.
“You can lose up to 40% of your vision before you even realize that it’s gone, so catching it early is really important,” said Alicia Lansford, the Chief Mission Officer for The East Texas Lighthouse for the Blind. “It is a permanent cause of blindness; sometimes surgery and treatment can make it a little better, maybe stabilize it for a little while, but the vision loss is permanent and it is progressive.”
The disease is most prevalent in older Americans, Langford says, along with certain minority groups.
