January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
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January 29, 2015
The Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills announces that January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in America.
The Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills believes it is our duty to educate the public about the effects of Glaucoma, the importance of early diagnosis for this often undetected and incurable, but controllable condition and the latest advances in diagnostic methods and treatment options.
Michael S. Berlin, M.D., Director of the Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills, Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology at UCLA, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in the field of Glaucoma notes that “Glaucoma is the ‘Sneak Thief of Sight’.
It is estimated that Glaucoma currently affects more than 2.2 million Americans and over 60 million people worldwide – numbers that can be expected to increase as the population ages. Unfortunately, many people with Glaucoma are unaware that they have it until there is a large amount, as much as 40%, of irreversible vision loss.”
The World Health Organization estimates that 4.5 million people worldwide are blind due to Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a series of conditions in which the optic nerve within the eye, which relays visual information to the brain, is damaged, often due to increased eye pressure.
Open-angle Glaucoma is a chronic condition, accounting for at least 90% of all Glaucoma cases. It is typically caused by the slow blockage and stiffening of drainage channels within the eye resulting in increased eye pressure. There are no symptoms except for gradual peripheral vision loss.
Everyone is at risk for Glaucoma, some more than others. People of African, Asian, and Hispanic descent are up to eight times more likely to develop Glaucoma than Caucasians. Furthermore, people over the age of 45 and those with a family history of Glaucoma are also at higher risk.
Additional risk factors include high blood pressure, near-sightedness, diabetes, and those who have suffered an eye injury.
The onset of blindness from Glaucoma can be prevented by early detection and proper treatment. It is important to be screened for Glaucoma and to have regular comprehensive eye exams, including a dilated eye exam to document the shape and color of the optic nerve. Medication and/or surgery can help halt the disease; however 10% of people who receive proper treatment will still experience some vision loss.
The Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills is dedicated to the research and treatment of Glaucoma. Contact the Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills or your ophthalmologist to arrange a Glaucoma screening.
Michael S. Berlin, M.D., M.S.
Glaucoma Institute of Beverly Hills
8733 Beverly Blvd, Suite 301
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 855-1112
GIBH4@yahoo.com
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