January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month!

Each January, the National Eye Institute (NEI) sponsors National Glaucoma Awareness Month.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the United States. Many people don’t know that glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages.

The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam. There’s no cure for glaucoma, but early treatment can often stop the damage and protect your vision.

Anyone can get glaucoma, but those at higher risk include:

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