“๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ค๐ข๐-๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ก๐”: ๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, affecting over 3 million Americans alone.
๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ is a group of disease that damage the optic nerve. The most common form, open-angle glaucoma, often presents no early symptoms, leaving 50% of those affected unaware of their condition.
๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ค ๐๐ช๐ง๐, ๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ ๐ซ๐๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ก๐ค๐จ๐จ.
๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ- age (particularly those over 60), family history, diabetes, and raceโBlack individuals are 6 to 8 times more likely to develop glaucoma than their White counterparts (CDC, 2024).
A 2021 hospital-based study in rural Nigeria found an 18.15% prevalence of glaucoma, with primary open-angle glaucoma being the most common (11.55%). Women accounted for 56.7% of cases, and intraocular pressure was significantly higher in females (Ezinne et al., 2021). Among secondary school teachers in Onitsha, glaucoma prevalence was 5.9%, with half of the affected individuals being women. Shockingly, only one participant had been previously diagnosed, demonstrating a huge gap in awareness and early detection (Ezenwa & Nwosu, 2025).
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ:
This yearโs World Glaucoma Week (March 9โ15) theme, “๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ค๐ข๐-๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ก๐” calls for global collaboration to combat preventable blindness.
๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ, we stand with the World Glaucoma Association to:
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Raise Awareness: Educate communities about risk factors, symptoms, and the importance of regular eye exams.
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Promote Early Detection: Encourage high-risk groups, including Black individuals over 40 and people with diabetes, to schedule dilated eye exams. Medicare covers annual tests for eligible groups.
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Advocate Healthy Habits: Maintain a healthy weight, control blood pressure, stay active, and avoid smoking to reduce risks.
๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐ข๐๐ฎ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ฉ, ๐๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐. By uniting effortsโ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ตโwe can preserve vision and empower communities.
๐ ๐ค๐๐ฃ ๐ช๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ค๐ข๐!
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