January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease.

Currently, more than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma. The National Eye Institute projects this number will reach 4.2 million by 2030, a 58 percent increase.

Glaucoma is called "the sneak thief of sight" since there are no symptoms and once vision is lost, it's permanent. As much as 40% of vision can be lost without a person noticing.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Moreover, among African American and Latino populations, glaucoma is more prevalent. Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

Over 3 million Americans, and over 60 million people worldwide, have glaucoma. Experts estimate that half of them don’t know they have it. Combined with our aging population, we can see an epidemic of blindness looming if we don’t raise awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision. The World Health Organization estimates that 4.5 million people worldwide due to glaucoma.

If you or anyone you know needs to see an eye doctor, go to ezdoctor.com to schedule an appointment. You can search for doctors and filter by them specialty, name, location and insurance plan. Before going to your appointment, make sure you get an EZDoctor Report. EZDoctor Reports contain important information on doctors such as; malpractice claims, board actions, criminal offenses, patient reviews and procedure pricing information. Head over to ezdoctor.com and find the best doctor for you today. 

Original and full article: glaucoma.org