January is National Glaucoma Awareness month and in efforts to help educate the public on the disease here are a few facts you should know pertaining to your eye health:

Nearly 3 million people over the age of 40 have glaucoma and as the population ages the number is projected to grow steadily, increasing by nearly 50% to 4.3 million by 2032 according to the Prevent Blindness “Future of Vision: Forecasting the Prevalence and Costs of Vision Problems” report.

Glaucoma is often called the “the sneak thief of sight” because most people don’t notice the early symptoms. However, if it is detected and treated early enough vision loss may be decreased. Risk factors that increase your odds of glaucoma include: extreme nearsightedness, aging eyes, and a family history. For the best chance of early detection, regular, comprehensive eye exams should be conducted even if you have no symptoms.

It’s imperative to act fast to protect your vision! If you wait until after you’ve already experienced some vision loss to seek help you may not be able to restore your eye sight even with surgery or treatment – glaucoma typically affects your peripheral vision first. As the only ultra-widefield retinal imaging technology with a 200 degree view of the retina, optomap® can capture more of your peripheral retinal and allow eye care profesionals to see more and treat more, effectively. Because early diagnosis is critical to saving your vision if diagnosed with glaucoma, a regular comprehensive eye exam including optomap is essential.

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