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January Is Glaucoma Awareness Month
January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and the Eye Center of Texas wants to help raise awareness of the disease by reminding mid-life and older Houstonians to get regular eye examinations.
Glaucoma is a disease that gradually takes an individual’s sight without warning. Although the most common forms of the disease primarily affect middle-aged adults and the elderly, glaucoma has no age boundaries. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness and can affect people of all age groups, including infants and children. Those at high risk of getting the disease are African-Americans, individuals of Latino ancestry, persons over age 60, and immediate family members of those who have been diagnosed with glaucoma. More than 3 million Americans and about 70 million people worldwide have the disease, with most being unaware that they have it. Because peripheral or side vision loss begins first, a person may not be aware he has the disease until he has lost a large amount of his sight.
The two most common types of the disease are primary open angle glaucoma – which is hereditary, and angle closure glaucoma. If an individual has been diagnosed with glaucoma, he should let his family know that they are at an increased risk of getting the disease. To prevent glaucoma, at risk individuals and persons over age 40 should have regular eye exams that include measurement of eye pressure, and a careful evaluation of the optic nerve, which is the part of the eye that sends images of what a person sees to the brain.
Eye Center of Texas urges you to get an dilated eye exam from your eye doctor. And while ECT doesn’t do regular eye exams, we co-manage with 275+ Houston area Optometrist. If you don’t have an Optometrist, call us or click on the below link and find optometrist in your desired zip code.
Find an optometrist for your routine eye exam
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Know Your Type of Glaucoma
There are several types of glaucoma. The two main types are open-angle and angle-closure. These are marked by an increase of intraocular pressure (IOP), or pressure inside the eye.
Open-Angle Glaucoma:
This is the most common form of glaucoma, affecting about three million Americans. It happens when the eye’s drainage canals become clogged over time.
The inner eye pressure (also called intraocular pressure or IOP) rises because the correct amount of fluid can’t drain out of the eye. With open-angle glaucoma, the entrances to the drainage canals are clear and should be working correctly. The clogging problem occurs further inside the drainage canals, similar to a clogged pipe below the drain in a sink.
Most people have no symptoms and no early warning signs. If open-angle glaucoma is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause a gradual loss of vision. This type of glaucoma develops slowly and sometimes without noticeable sight loss for many years. It usually responds well to medication, especially if caught early and treated.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma:
This type of glaucoma is also known as acute glaucoma or narrow angle glaucoma. It is much more rare and is very different from open-angle glaucoma in that the eye pressure usually rises very quickly.
This happens when the drainage canals get blocked or covered over, like a sink with something covering the drain.
With angle-closure glaucoma, the iris is not as wide and open as it should be. The outer edge of the iris bunches up over the drainage canals, when the pupil enlarges too much or too quickly. This can happen when entering a dark room.
A simple test can be used to see if your angle is normal and wide or abnormal and narrow.
Symptoms of angle-closure glaucoma may include headaches, eye pain, nausea, rainbows around lights at night, and very blurred vision.
Normal-Tension Glaucoma:
Also called low-tension or normal-pressure glaucoma, in normal-tension glaucoma the optic nerve is damaged even though the pressure in the eye is not very high. Doctors do not know why some people’s optic nerves are damaged even though they have almost normal pressure levels.
Those at higher risk for this form of glaucoma are:
- People with a family history of normal-tension glaucoma
- People of Japanese ancestry
- People with a history of systemic heart disease such as irregular heart rhythm.
Early detection, through regular and complete eye exams, is the key to protecting your vision.
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Can Glaucoma Be Prevented?
Is there any way to prevent glaucoma?
Though it’s unclear whether glaucoma can be prevented, you might be able to reduce your risk for the disease by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol, eat a healthy diet, keep your weight down, exercise and take nutritional products.
Currently, regular eye exams are the best form of prevention against significant glaucoma damage. In general, a check for glaucoma should be done:
- Before age 40, every two to four years
- Age 40 to age 54, every one to three years
- Age 55 to 64, every one to two years
- After age 65, every six to 12 months
- Anyone with high risk factors should be tested every year or two after age 35. Those at higher risk include people of African descent, people with diabetes, and people with a family history of glaucoma. You are at increased risk if you have a parent or brother or sister with glaucoma.
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January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
Glaucoma has no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing.
The good news is…glaucoma can be detected in its early stages through a comprehensive dilated eye exam. ECT encourages all people at higher risk of glaucoma…(African Americans age 40 or older…everyone age 60, especially Mexican Americans…and those with a family history) to get a dilated eye exam because early detection and timely treatment may save your sight.
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January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a serious condition that involves an elevation in pressure inside the eye caused by a build-up of excess fluid. Left untreated, it can destroy the optic nerve, which is the main nerve of the eye. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world today…but it doesn’t have to be.
In most cases, it is a painless disease…and there are no symptoms other than loss of vision, which can occur so gradually that many people do not realize it is happening. The first vision loss is usually peripheral vision (what you see off to the sides when you are looking straight ahead).
Glaucoma cannot be cured, but it can be treated. If it’s diagnosed
in its early stages, blindness can almost always be prevented. Because it is painless, it is very important that patients have regular eye exams. This is especially true for people who:
- Have a family history of the disease
- Are of African-American descent
- Over the age of 40
Possible Signs of Glaucoma:
If you are suddenly experiencing the following symptoms, you may have glaucoma and should seek immediate treatment:
- Blurred vision
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Halos around bright light
The Eye Center of Texas treats all types of glaucoma. The most common is called ‘open-angle’ glaucoma. It occurs in 80% of all people with glaucoma and most ‘open-angle’ cases are treated with eye drops that we prescribe in the office. We also offer laser trabeculoplasty or SLT. The SLT (which is covered by most insurance plans) treats intraocular pressure by gently opening up the drainage canal of the eye with multiple laser spots.
To schedule your glaucoma evaluation, call the Eye Center of Texas at 713-797-1010
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Our Locations
Houston/Bellaire
6565 W. Loop S., Suite 650Bellaire, TX 77401
Medical Office:
713-797-1010
Medical Fax:
713-357-7276
LASIK/Near Vision:
Office: 713-395-1515
Fax: 713-357-7278
Pasadena
4415 Crenshaw RoadPasadena, TX 77504
Medical Office:
281-977-8800
Medical Fax:
281-977-8877
Sugar Land
15400 S.W. Freeway, Suite 301Sugar Land, TX 77478
Medical Office:
281-277-1010
Medical Fax:
281-277-4504
Clear Lake
455 E. Medical Center Blvd., Suite 110Webster, TX 77598
Medical Office:
281-332-1397
Medical Fax:
281-282-9152
Katy
Greenhouse Medical Plaza2051 Greenhouse Road, Suite 110
Houston, TX 77084
Medical Office:
713-797-1010
Medical Fax:
713-357-7276
The Woodlands/Conroe
100 Medical Center Blvd., Suite 118Conroe, TX 77304
Medical Office:
713-797-1010
Medical Fax:
936-647-1620
