RALEIGH, N.C. -- While we don’t think about it, we use our eyes each day for nearly everything we do. But a condition, that often shows no signs or symptoms, can cause loss of sight and ultimately blindness if it goes undetected for too long.

  • Early detection is key to catching glaucoma and treating it properly
  • Glaucoma is a condition that damages the nerve connecting the eye to the brain, usually due to high pressure in the eye
  • Unfortunately there is no cure for the condition, but there is treatment, eye drops, medications, and even surgery that can help slow down the loss of sight

According to Dr. Osama Said, an optometrist and ocular disease specialist with MyEyeDr. in Raleigh, North Carolina, early detection is key to catching glaucoma and treating it properly.

Glaucoma is a condition that damages the nerve connecting the eye to the brain, usually due to high pressure in the eye. The most common type, open-angle glaucoma, doesn’t have symptoms other than slow vision loss. However, in some rare cases, like angle-closure glaucoma, a patient can have eye pain, nausea, and sudden problems with vision.

Unfortunately there is no cure for the condition, but there is treatment, eye drops, medications, and even surgery that can help slow down the loss of sight. That’s why Dr. Said says catching glaucoma as soon as possible is key. He says yearly eye exams are crucial for day-to-day vision, but also to check the pressure around the eye.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than three million people in the United States are currently living with glaucoma, and that number is expected to reach 5.5 million by 2050. That’s why Dr. Said and others are working to raise awareness for exams, during National Glaucoma Awareness Month.

There are a number of factors that can increase our risk of developing glaucoma. Experts say if you’re 60 years or older, you are more likely to develop the condition and that risk increases with age. They also say if you have a parent or grandparent, or other family history of the disease, it increases the likelihood of developing glaucoma by 20 percent. Finally, existing medical conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease can also leader to greater risk of glaucoma.

For more information on Glaucoma, visit the CDC’s website.