- Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness.
- Based on prevalence studies, it is estimated that 79.6 million individuals will have glaucoma in 2020. This number is likely to increase to 111.8 million individuals in 2040.
- At least, half of those with glaucoma are unaware that they are affected. In some developing countries, 90% of glaucoma is undetected.
- In many cases, glaucoma may be asymptomatic.
- It is estimated that more than 11 million individuals will be bilaterally blind due to glaucoma in 2020 (around 13% of the cases).
- In most cases, blindness can be prevented with appropriate control and treatment.
- In the USA, blindness is the third most feared health problem, after cancer and cardiac attacks.
- Unfortunately, many individuals are unaware of the existence of glaucoma.
- A better awareness could prevent visual disability in many people.
Important message for glaucoma patients
It is important for you to get yourself regularly screened for glaucoma. If you have been diagnosed to have glaucoma, effective treatment options are now available and regular treatment and follow up can help you to preserve your vision for your lifetime, avoiding unnecessary fear of going blind.
You can live happily with glaucoma and enjoy an excellent quality of life, particularly if the disease is detected early and treated in time. Always remember that once you have glaucoma, you will have to be under the care of an eye doctor for the rest of your life.
There is a lot of research going on and new treatments may become available for glaucoma in the near future.
World Glaucoma Association
www.worldglaucoma.org
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