Glaucoma

Minority Women's Health > African Americans > Health Topics > Glaucoma

Blindness affect blacks more frequently than whites and Hispanics.  Cataracts and glaucoma are serious problems for African Americans, causing over half of the cases of blindness in African Americans.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can harm the eye's optic nerve and cause vision loss and blindness. The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers which takes the images we see to the brain. A healthy optic nerve is needed for good vision.

Glaucoma often has few or no symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they can include:

• blurred vision
• seeing a halo around lights
• reddening of the eye
• severe eye pain
• nausea and vomiting

It's important to get treatment for glaucoma right away. With early treatment, you can often avoid major vision loss. If glaucoma is not treated, you may start missing things to the side or out of the corner of your eye. Over time, straight-ahead vision may get worse and you may become blind.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in African Americans. African Americans are almost three times more likely to develop visual impairment due to glaucoma than other ethnic groups.  But if glaucoma is found and treated early, it can often be slowed and major vision loss can be delayed. African Americans over age 40 should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once every two years.

Publications

1.   Don't Lose Sight of Glaucoma - This online resource guide provides information about glaucoma. It answers questions about causes and symptoms, and discusses diagnosis and types of treatment.

   http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/glaucoma/glaucoma_risk.asp

2. African Americans and Glaucoma (Copyright © AACAHC) - This article contains information about glaucoma specifically for the African American population.

   http://www.aachac.org/healthfactsheets/glaucoma.html

3. African Americans and Glaucoma (Copyright © Glaucoma Research Foundation) - This article contains information about glaucoma specifically for the African American population.

   http://www.glaucoma.org/learn/africanamerican.php

4. Frequently Asked Questions about Glaucoma (Copyright © Prevent Blindness America) - Glaucoma is a group of diseases usually associated with increased pressure within the eye. This publication provides more information on this eye disease.

   http://www.preventblindness.org/eye_problems/glaucoma_faq.html

5. Frequently Asked Questions: Examinations (Copyright © TGF) - This fact sheet answers frequently asked questions about visiting your eye doctor. Topics include what to expect at an examination, the different procedures that may occur, and how to speak with your doctor about medical issues.

   http://www.glaucomafoundation.org/info_new.php?id=156&cat=16

Organizations

1.   National Eye Institute, NIH, HHS
2. Glaucoma Research Foundation
3. Prevent Blindness America
4. The Glaucoma Foundation

= Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007