January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. As the second leading cause of blindness in the US, glaucoma is very much treatable and manageable, as long as it is diagnosed in a timely manner, to avoid vision loss. The good news is that time is on our side, as it is typically a slowly progressive disease. The bad news is that the damage to the optic nerve that results is typically permanent and the vision loss irreversible:
Because there are no real symptoms to alert you early on, it is imperative to have routine eye exams to detect glaucoma. Many varieties exist, but it essentially restricts the flow of fluid from the eye, causing an increase in the eye’s internal pressure, which ultimately compromises the optic nerve, resulting in vision loss. For more information regarding this devastating disease, click on the link below: