Assessing Your Risk for Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a chronic condition that causes reduced quality in vision and, if left untreated, can cause blindness. In fact, glaucoma is one of the world’s leading causes of vision loss. Luckily, with early diagnosis and treatment, vision can be preserved.

Glaucoma is the result of increased pressure within the eye. The fluid in our eye is normally at a balanced level of pressure. When pressure increases, the optic nerve can be damaged and vision can be compromised. There are several forms of glaucoma but with all of them, early medical intervention is absolutely crucial to maintaining healthy vision.

Glaucoma doesn’t typically present with any symptoms until it gets to the point where vision starts to become impaired. So it’s important to maintain a regular schedule of eye checkups especially if you are considered at high risk for developing glaucoma.

Am I at risk for glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a disease that can affect anyone at any time but there are some factors that put people at higher risk for developing glaucoma including:

• People over the age of 60, most especially those of Hispanic descent.
• African Americans over the age of 40. In fact, glaucoma is five times more likely to occur in African Americans than in Caucasians, four times more likely to cause blindness, and fifteen times more likely to cause blindness between the ages of 45 and 64.
• Patients with a family history of glaucoma.

Because there are so few symptoms in the early stages of glaucoma, it is necessary to see an eye doctor on a regular basis who can check for signs of glaucoma and assess risk factors.

By being aggressive with your eye care, and learning your risk factors, you can identify glaucoma in the early stages and potentially preserve your vision.

About Author:-

The physicians at Ophthalmology Associates have offered eye care services in Fort Worth, HEB, Weatherford, and Granbury for over 40 years. For more information call us at (817) 332-2020 or Contact Us Online to request an appointment by simply filling out the on-line form. It's a beautiful world, you deserve to see it well!

At Ophthalmology Associates, our entire staff strives to work as a team to deliver exceptional eye care for you and your family in a comfortable environment. We want you to remember us not only for our quality of eye care..