Black History Month and National Glaucoma Awareness Month: focus on eye care

  • Published
  • By Capt. Jesus Barrios
  • 319th Optometry Clinic
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  This month, in addition to taking the time to celebrate the history of the Black heroes of the past, African-Americans should also inventory the personal history of the hero seen daily in the mirror. If you can still see yourself in the mirror, consider yourself luckier than the millions of people who have lost this ability as a consequence of glaucoma.

Glaucoma consists of a group of eye conditions in which the nerves responsible for vision are irreparably damaged, leading to eventual blindness. This vision loss is a very slow process and, because it is usually painless, victims never suspect anything is wrong until it is too late. In fact, it is estimated that half of those with glaucoma do not even know they have it.

Although patients cannot do anything to prevent glaucoma and there is no cure for it, glaucoma is very treatable and controllable. The key is to catch the disease process early enough to spare maximal vision because whatever vision is lost can never be recovered.

It is interesting that Black History Month and National Glaucoma Awareness Month both occur within the same time period since glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in African-Americans. Studies supported by the National Eye Institute compared glaucoma statistics of African-Americans and Caucasians revealing that the chances of developing glaucoma occurs five times more often in African-Americans. In general, for those that get glaucoma, African-Americans have four times the likelihood of losing their sight from it. However, when focusing on the age group between 45 and 64, the figures are even more frightening as African-Americans are fifteen times more likely than Caucasians to lose their vision from glaucoma.

It is highly encouraged to see an eye care professional for a comprehensive eye exam (including dilation) at least once every other year if you fall into one of the main high risk groups for glaucoma: anyone over the age of 60, anyone with a family history of glaucoma and African-Americans over the age of 40.

Awareness of your family history is an important consideration when determining your risk for glaucoma. If you already have it, make sure to share the information with your relatives. If you do not have it, find out if anyone in your family does. Educating one another on glaucoma can help save vision.

Try something new this year; add this topic to the dinner table discussions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass and other Black heroes. You just may become a new hero in your family.

For more information on glaucoma, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/glaucoma_facts.asp and http://www.aoa.org/x7360.xml. For a free Glaucoma test, visit the 319th Medical Group's Health Fair Saturday, Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. t0 2 p.m.