What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness in the world. It is a disease characterized by an increase in pressure in the eyeball that will damage the optic nerve and cause gradual vision loss.
Who is at risk for glaucoma?
According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, everyone is at risk for developing glaucoma. Infants, young children, adults and senior citizens have been affected by this disease.
Glaucoma Statistics:
- About 2% of the population ages 40-50 and 8% over 70 have high eye pressure.
- African Americans ages 45-65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group.
- Other high-risk groups include: people over 60, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted.
- It is estimated that over 4 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it. (from Prevent Blindness America)
- *Statistics taken from the Glaucoma Research Foundation unless otherwise noted