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Glaucoma causes increased pressure in the eye to damage the optic nerve. It causes progressive damage to the eye and is one of the biggest causes of vision loss in the world. In spite of this, many people are unfamiliar with glaucoma and don’t understand how serious it can be.
Our main purpose in sharing this blog post is to inform you about some of the most common misconceptions surrounding glaucoma. Here are four common myth surrounding glaucoma:
1. Only elderly people develop glaucoma.
Glaucoma is most commonly found in elderly patients but it can affect people of all ages. There are many conditions which can put you at higher risk for developing glaucoma such as family history, and diabetes.
2. There is only one type of glaucoma.
The two primary types of glaucoma are called angle-closure glaucoma and open-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma and is a mild increase in eye pressure, which causes damage to the optic nerve slowly over time. Angle-closure glaucoma causes the pressure in the eye to increase very suddenly and damage to the optic nerve occurs more quickly.
3. Glaucoma has obvious symptoms that allow for early detection.
Glaucoma is a very dangerous eye disease because it is mostly symptom-free in the early stages. This means that if you do not have yearly vision screenings, your glaucoma can go undetected for a long time. While glaucoma is treatable, there is no cure and once you lose your vision to glaucoma it cannot be recovered.
4. Without a family history, you are unlikely to develop glaucoma.
A family history of glaucoma does put you at higher risk of developing the disease yourself. However, a lack of family history does not mean that you can’t develop glaucoma as well. Often we see patients who did have a family history of glaucoma that they were simply unaware of.
Glaucoma causes painless, lifelong vision loss over a long period of time. It can affect individuals of all ages and is one of the leading causes of blindness. The best way to protect your eyes against the effects of glaucoma is by scheduling yearly comprehensive vision check-ups.
Your doctor will be able to detect early signs of glaucoma and other common eye diseases. Click here to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors and learn more about our services.
