MOORESVILLE,
IND. -- Often called the “sneak thief of
sight” because it slowly causes vision loss, glaucoma can rob a person of sight
before a diagnosis is made. To raise awareness of the disease, which can occur
without symptoms in up to 50 percent of affected patients, free glaucoma
screenings will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at the
Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute in the Medical Pavilion at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Mooresville
Ophthalmology
residents and medical students from the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute
at the IU School of Medicine will provide the free glaucoma screenings in the
clinic, Suite 103 of the Medical Pavilion, 1001 Hadley Road. The screenings are
free and take about five minutes. They are being offered in conjunction with
World Glaucoma Week, observed March 10-16 to raise awareness about the second
most common form of blindness worldwide.
“Everyone
over age 60 is at risk for glaucoma, but the risk is greater for
African-Americans over age 40 and for Hispanics,” explained Louis B. Cantor,
M.D., chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Glick Eye Institute at
the IU School of Medicine. Dr. Cantor, a glaucoma specialist, says everyone
should have a baseline eye exam around age 40, the age at which diseases of the
aging eye can begin to manifest.
Additional
risk factors for glaucoma include:
·
Age
·
Having a family history of
·
Having elevated eye pressure
·
Being farsighted or nearsighted
·
Having previous eye injuries
·
Having other health problems such as diabetes
Dr.
Cantor says glaucoma can lead to blindness if left untreated; that is why
screenings are so important. Patients who are diagnosed in the early stages of
the disease often are treated with surgery, eye drops or both. Those treatments
might slow or halt progression of the disease and stave off blindness.
“We
hope Mooresville area residents will come by for a free screening and visit our
new clinic in the Franciscan St. Francis Medical Pavilion,” Dr. Cantor said.
“We offer a full range of eye care services at this location, including an
optical shop.”
Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide,
according to the World Glaucoma Association. It is estimated that 4.5 million
people are blind due to glaucoma - this number is expected to rise to 11.2
million by 2020.
The Glick Eye Institute is conducting several research studies
to learn more about glaucoma and how the disease and be treated.
Information about the screening and the Glick Eye Institute is
available at www.glick.iu.edu; more
information about World Glaucoma Week is available at http://www.facebook.com/WGWeek
