Home » Eye Disease
Tag:

Eye Disease

Vision

Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. Glaucoma causes fluid to build up in your eye, causing pressure that can damage the optic nerve, which transfers visual images to your brain. But, you can save your vision with early detection and treatment. Nearly 3 million Americans have glaucoma. Half don’t know it. Lack of awareness and the absence of symptoms are preventing people from detecting the disease early. You can change that! Find out if you have glaucoma.Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes
If detected early, before noticeable vision loss occurs, glaucoma can usually be controlled and severe vision loss can often be prevented. Vision that is lost from glaucoma cannot be restored. This is why it is so important to schedule an eye exam every year, even if you think your eyesight is unchanged. Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes
Anyone can get glaucoma, but those at higher risk include: Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes

  • African Americans over age 40 Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes
  • Everyone over age 60, especially Hispanics/Latinos
  • People with a family history of the disease

Schedule an eye exam today!

Shop Senior.com for low vision aids!

Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes
This year, make a resolution for healthier vision. Make sure your eyes are healthy and you are seeing your best in 2017. Schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam and encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same. Vision loss can be prevented or controlled.

To learn more about glaucoma, view this animated video. For tips on finding an eye care professional and for information on financial assistance, visit www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma or call National Eye Institute at 301–496–5248.

Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes

 

Glaucoma Facts Protect Eyes

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Vision

Five Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger

Each year in March, many people hear about Diabetes Alert Day, a one-day “wake-up call” to inform the American public about the seriousness of diabetes. On this day, many organizations encourage individuals to take the diabetes risk test and learn about their family history of diabetes. Five Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetes has become an epidemic in the United States. In the past 30 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, diagnosed cases of diabetes have increased more than 30 percent. If diabetes is not managed, it can lead to serious complications, including vision loss and blindness.
Everyone with diabetes is at higher risk of losing vision from diabetic eye disease, but less than 10 percent of older adults in the United States know that diabetic retinopathy often has no early warning signs. The good news is that 95 percent of severe vision loss can be prevented through early detection, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up.

To help you keep your vision healthy, here are five things the National Eye Health Education Program, a program of the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health, would like you to know about diabetic eye disease:

  1. A group of eye problems—People with diabetes may face several eye problems as a complication of this disease. They include cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, which is the leading cause of blindness in American adults ages 20–74.
  1. No symptoms, no pain—In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy has no symptoms. A person may not notice vision changes until the disease advances. Blurred vision may occur when the macula swells from the leaking fluid (called macular edema). If new vessels have grown on the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the eye, blocking vision.
  1. Have diabetes? You are at risk—Anyone with diabetes is at risk of getting diabetic retinopathy. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get this eye disease. In fact, between 40 and 45 percent of those with diagnosed diabetes have some degree of diabetic retinopathy. Detecting eye changes can also help diagnose kidney (nephropathy) and peripheral nerve disease (neuropathy).
  1. Stay on TRACK—That is: Take your medications as prescribed by your doctor; Reach and maintain a healthy weight; Add more physical activity to your daily routine; Control your ABC’s—A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels; and Kick the smoking habit.
  1. Get a dilated eye exam—If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease can be detected early and treated before noticeable vision loss occurs.

As an eye health professional, I encourage you to protect your vision, particularly if you have diabetes. This month, start the conversation at home, with your family and friends, or with your healthcare provider. Save what many take for granted: their sight.

To learn more about diabetic eye disease, visit https://www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/programs/diabeticeyedisease

By: Suber S. Huang, M.D., M.B.A.
Chair, National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) Planning Committee

Five Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease

Five Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease
Five Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Vision

5 Things to Know About Glaucoma

by Kimberly Johnson
written by Kimberly Johnson

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

Every New Year, you make a list of things you will do to stay healthy so you can feel your best. But, did you realize that feeling your best includes seeing your best too? January is Glaucoma Awareness Month – the perfect time to spread the word about the disease. So, this year, add learning about glaucoma to your list! Your eyes will thank you for it. 5 Things to Know About Glaucoma

1. Glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness, which can’t be reversed.

Glaucoma causes fluid to build up in your eye, causing pressure
that can damage the optic nerve, which transfers visual images
to your brain. But, you can save your vision with early detection and treatment.

2. There are no early symptoms.

Glaucoma often has no early warning signs. No pain. No discomfort. No blurry vision. Only advanced glaucoma will affect your vision. Don’t wait for symptoms to visit your eye doctor!

3. In the United States, half the people who have glaucoma don’t know they do.

Nearly 3 million Americans have glaucoma. Half don’t know it. Lack of awareness and the absence of symptoms are preventing people from detecting the disease early. You can change that! Find out if you have glaucoma.

4. Some people are at higher risk than others.

African Americans over 40, adults over 60 – especially Hispanics/Latinos, and people with a family history of glaucoma are at higher risk, making early detection especially important. Are you at higher risk? Talk to your family about glaucoma.

5. There is only one way to know if you have glaucoma.

Getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to find out if you have glaucoma. During the exam, an eye care professional places drops in your eyes to widen the pupils and looks for signs of the disease in the optic nerve.
Now that you’ve got the facts about glaucoma, make a resolution for healthier vision. Schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam today! And encourage your friends and loved ones to do the same. 5 Things to Know About Glaucoma
To learn more about glaucoma, visit www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma. 5 Things to Know About Glaucoma
The National Eye Institute (NEI) leads the federal government’s research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs to develop sight-saving treatments and address the special needs of people with vision loss. For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov. 5 Things to Know About Glaucoma

5 Things to Know About Glaucoma

0 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail