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Health Moment History
Glaucoma
6746 Grasselli Road; Fairfield, AL 35064
Glaucoma is a disease that causes loss of sight by damaging a part of the eye called the
optic nerve. This nerve sends information from your eyes to your brain. When glaucoma
damages your optic nerve, you begin to lose patches of vision, usually side vision
(peripheral vision). Over time, glaucoma may also damage straight ahead (central)
vision. You may not notice a loss of side vision until you have lost a great deal of your
sight. When checking for glaucoma, eye doctors usually look for damage to the optic
nerve and any loss of side vision. They may also check for your eye pressure.

Glaucoma is often called “the sneak thief of sight”; because people usually do not notice
any signs of the disease until they have already lost significant vision. Once vision is lost,
it cannot be restored.

Risk factors that can increase your chance of having glaucoma are age, the older you
are the greater the risk; African Americans have glaucoma 4-5x’s more often that
others; family history and your medical history – diabetes, previous eye injuries, eye
surgery or long term steroid use can increase your risk of glaucoma.

Eye exams are encouraged at a frequency of every 2-4 years for adults 20-64 years old
and every 1-2 years for adults 65 and older.