By Tim Wholf

January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month and is an excellent time to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam—the most effective way to test for glaucoma. It is also an excellent New Year’s resolution!

More than three million people in the United States and an estimated 60 million people worldwide have glaucoma. The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million Americans by 2030, a 58 percent increase.

Glaucoma is called “the sneak thief of sight” since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it’s permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness.

Glaucoma is caused when fluid, known as aqueous humor, builds up in the eye increasing eye pressure, called intraocular pressure (IOP). High IOP causes damage to the optic nerve. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires. It is responsible for carrying images from the eye to the brain.

Secondary glaucoma occurs when another disease causes or contributes to increased eye pressure, resulting in optic nerve damage and vision loss.

Often glaucoma doesn’t have any noticeable symptoms. It is a slowly progressing condition, which means half of the estimated three million Americans living with glaucoma don’t even know they have it.

There are several reasons glaucoma can go undetected, including:

• Most types of glaucoma are painless, with no feelings of discomfort.
• Changes to vision due to glaucoma are usually gradual, making it difficult to notice changes.
• Although there are rarely noticeable visual symptoms in the early stages of glaucoma, vision loss begins at the nasal peripheral areas of vision.
• It’s not uncommon for glaucoma to affect one eye more severely, and we compensate for the loss.
• Because glaucoma is often associated with aging, subtle vision changes can be accepted as part of the aging process.

Anyone can get glaucoma, including children, and everyone should be screened for glaucoma. The best way to protect your sight from glaucoma is to get a comprehensive eye examination.

Early detection of glaucoma is essential in preventing vision loss and blindness. Eye doctors recommend going for eye health examinations every year. The good news is that early detection can prevent significant damage and save your eyesight.

New advancements in glaucoma care continue to bring researchers closer to finding a cure.

Tim Wholf is director of the Johnson County Department of Aging and Human Services.