Glaucoma Cases Climb 22 Percent in the U.S. Prevent Blindness
America Joins in January’s National Glaucoma Awareness Month to
Educate Public on Second Leading Cause of Blindness CHICAGO
(Dec. 12, 2012) – More than 2.7 million Americans age 40 and
older have open-angle glaucoma, a 22 percent increase from just
10 years ago, according to the 2012 Vision Problems in the
U.S.report from Prevent Blindness America and the National Eye
Institute. Along with the troubling increase in the number of
cases, is the major concern that half of those people who have
glaucoma are not aware of it. To address this major public
health concern, Prevent Blindness America is joining with other
leading vision and eye health groups to declare January as
National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Prevent Blindness America
provides free resources to educate the public on glaucoma
through “The Glaucoma Learning Center,” a website at
www.preventblindess.org/glaucoma, and printed materials,
available by request. Because symptoms develop so gradu