January marks Glaucoma Awareness Month, and a Mobile vision specialist is urging residents not to wait for symptoms before getting checked.
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve and is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in the United States, according to the National Eye Institute, affecting an estimated 2.8 million Americans. The disease’s danger lies in its silence: by the time noticeable vision loss appears, damage already done cannot be reversed.
Caught early, however, glaucoma can usually be controlled, and severe vision loss can often be prevented. That makes routine screening especially important for older adults and others at elevated risk.
Dr. Joe Fontenot of Community Services for Vision Rehabilitation has been spreading that message during the awareness month, talking with local audiences about prevention and management of the disease and about the vision rehabilitation options available to those whose sight is already affected.