Glaucoma – Who, me?
A Note from Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Executive Director Barbara Armstrong
January is Glaucoma Awareness month, and this year, I have a new appreciation for glaucoma’s nickname,
the sneak thief of sight. Although I’ve had regular eye exams for more than 30 years, I’m in good health, and I have no symptoms or discomfort, a routine eye exam recently revealed that I have narrow angles and so I’m at high risk for narrow angle glaucoma (also known as angle closure glaucoma). I was more than a little surprised by my diagnosis. Why glaucoma and why now? (Yes,
Why me? crossed my mind as well) The truth is, our eyes change as we age. As we get older, our risk for eye disease increases.
A less common form of glaucoma than open angle glaucoma, narrow angle glaucoma is caused by shallow or narrow angles in the eye that can reduce the normal flow of fluid draining out of the eye. In severe cases, the angle can become totally blocked, causing the fluid pressure in the eye to skyrocket. Because high pressures inside the eye can damage the eye’s optic nerve, an acute narrow angle glaucoma attack is an eye emergency that can result in rapid, permanent vision loss.
At the advice of my ophthalmologist, Dr. Charles Yang, I recently had a laser peripheral iridotomy performed on both eyes. The surgery created a small opening in each iris, allowing another path for fluid to escape from the eye and thus avoid a complete blockage with dangerously high pressures. My eyes now have their own check valve of sorts, ensuring that each eye has a way to prevent a buildup of pressure even as the angles continue to narrow as I age. The surgery was performed as an outpatient procedure and was relatively painless. Most importantly, I’ve taken a step toward increasing my vision health for years to come. It all started with a routine eye exam.
Preventing vision loss due to glaucoma begins with a dilated eye exam. In its early stages, glaucoma has no symptoms, no noticeable vision loss, and no pain. Most people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it. By the time symptoms start to appear, some permanent damage to the eye has usually occurred, and glaucoma,
the sneak thief of sight, has done its damage.
If you’re over 40, please schedule a dilated eye exam with an eye care professional. Your healthy vision depends on it. To learn more about all types of glaucoma, risk factors, causes, and treatments, visit Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s Glaucoma Learning Center at
http://wisconsin.preventblindness.org/glaucoma.
Don’t Let Glaucoma “Sneak” Up On You!
They call it the “sneak thief of sight” because it can slowly take away your vision without you even knowing. Ask yourself these questions to find out if you’re at risk for glaucoma:
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could be at risk for glaucoma. The only way to diagnose glaucoma is with a dilated eye exam. Don’t wait. Schedule your dilated eye exam today.
Click
here to learn more about glaucoma.
You Made a Difference!
Thanks to you and so many friends of Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, we met our challenge goal to raise $25,000 from donors and friends by December 3 1
st in order to receive matching funds of $25,000. Thank you! Funds raised will support our free sight-saving services throughout the state, including free vision screenings, vision screening trainings for thousands of volunteer vision screeners, public education on healthy vision and eye health, and more. Thanks for giving the gift of healthy vision to so many this year. Your support and dedication is appreciated!
“Prevent Blindness Wisconsin Saved My Vision”
My name is Ari Rosenthal. I was in kindergarten when Prevent Blindness Wisconsin had a free vision screening at my school. One of the volunteers sent home a note with good news and bad news. The good news: I had 20/20 (perfect) vision in my left eye. The bad news: I had 20/80 (minimal) vision in my right eye. My mom was in doubt because I had just had a vision screening performed by one of the best pediatricians in Milwaukee and had passed a few weeks earlier, but she decided to play it safe and make an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
The doctor confirmed that my vision in my left eye was fine. However, the vision in my right eye was progressively getting worse, and he explained that I needed glasses all the time or my brain would have favored my stronger eye and blocked out my right eye. Soon I would have become blind in my right eye.
I am now an 8
th grader who has near perfect vision. My hobbies are running, reading, basketball, and composing music, none of which would have been possible if Prevent Blindness had not intervened. If this program had not been free, my mom would not have had me checked because I had previously been checked less than three weeks prior. I hope that Prevent Blindness will be able to continue to give free visual screening and even glasses to young kids. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin saved my vision and for that I owe
them everything.
Do you have a story to tell about how Prevent Blindness Wisconsin has helped you? We would love to tell your story! Please contact us at info@preventblindnesswisconsin.org
Help Prevent Adult Blindness - Host a Healthy Eye Awareness Presentation
Blindness is one of the most feared disabilities among adults, yet most eye diseases that cause blindness can be prevented. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s free community outreach presentations help raise awareness of the four conditions that primarily affect adults: age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. In Wisconsin alone, 615,000 adults over the age of 40 are affected by at least one of these conditions.
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin’s community outreach presentation, “Adult Eye Disorders” is 45 minutes in length and has been designed to help participants understand the risk factors, signs and symptoms, of the most common adult eye conditions. Most importantly, the presentation will help participants to understand simple steps they may take to prevent vision loss and maintain healthy vision for a lifetime. To learn more about hosting a ‘Healthy Eye Awareness’ presentation, please contact Erica Kane, Program Manager, at 414-765-0505.
Jump Start Your Battery Safely and Protect Your Healthy Vision
Each year thousands of Americans suffer corneal burns or serious eye injuries caused by battery acid and flying battery fragments. The cause? Jump-starting a car incorrectly. Car batteries contain sulfuric acid and can release highly combustible gas that can be ignited if batteries are jump-started incorrectly. In seconds, a car battery can explode like a bomb causing potentially blinding injuries to those nearby.
To reduce your risk of eye injury when you jump-start your car, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin recommends following correct safety procedures and wearing appropriate safety glasses made of durable polycarbonate to meet occupational eye safety standards. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin recommends keeping safety guidelines and safety glasses in your car’s glove compartment or with your jumper cables.
To receive a “Jump Start Your Battery” sticker containing jump-start safety guidelines, send $1.50 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to Prevent Blindness Wisconsin, Battery Safety, 759 N. Milwaukee Street, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
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For over 50 years, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin has pursued its mission to prevent blindness and preserve sight. An affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, Prevent Blindness Wisconsin provides free vision screenings to preschool children, school age children, and adults. It also provides public and professional education in vision health, safety, and vision loss prevention.
Prevent Blindness Wisconsin is the only non profit organization in the state providing these services. Since 1958 Prevent Blindness Wisconsin has screened more than 5 million children and over 230,000 adults. Prevent Blindness Wisconsin receives no government money, and relies entirely on the public and business community for support of its sight saving services. For more information or to make a sight saving contribution, call (414) 765-0505.
