Take Action to Protect Yourself from Glaucoma
While anyone can get glaucoma, some people are at higher risk. To protect your vision, get a complete eye exam.
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Transcript
DR. RODGERS: Glaucoma is an eye disease that can rob you of your vision and comes with no early warning. No pain, no discomfort, no blurry vision. Nearly three million people have glaucoma, yet half don’t know they have it.
Hi, I’m Dr. Griffin Rodgers, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at NIH. My colleague, Dr. Paul Sieving, former director of the National Eye Institute, explains.
DR. SIEVING: Glaucoma damages the optic nerve inside the eye. The damage is caused by an increase of eye pressure. If not treated, glaucoma causes the loss of peripheral vision, and later on a loss of all vision.
While anyone can get glaucoma, some people are at higher risk. They include African Americans over age 40, anyone over age 60, and particularly Hispanics and Latinos or people with a family history of glaucoma.
Protect your vision. Get a complete eye exam.
For more information, follow us @NIDDKgov. This is Dr. Griffin Rodgers.