The World Health Organization considers glaucoma one of the primary causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness.1 Yet, according to a national survey commissioned by Allergan in collaboration with the Glaucoma Research Foundation, approximately 40% consider glaucoma to be somewhat or not very serious.
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GLAUCOMA 101*
Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye's optic nerve. It typically occurs when fluid builds up in the front part of the eye. The extra fluid increases the pressure in the eye (called intraocular pressure or IOP), damaging the optic nerve.2,3
*Glaucoma can be open-angle or closed-angle; 90% of cases can be attributed to open-angle glaucoma4
27% of patients
with glaucoma are estimated to go blind in one eye over a 10-year period.5
An estimated
70 million people globally are
living with glaucoma.6
DAILY DISRUPTION
In glaucoma, vision loss due to elevated IOP in the eye is irreversible and often worsens over time. Uncontrolled, increased and changing IOP causes damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision.2,7,8
Before blindness sets in, vision loss can affect people with glaucoma in multiple ways because the brain adapts to vision loss and compensates for some loss of vision.9,10
People with glaucoma have a
3x greater risk of falls.11-13
People with glaucoma are at a
6x greater risk for automobile accidents.12
Vision impairment may be associated with reduced quality of life and decreased ability to perform activities of daily living.10
Before blindness sets in, vision loss can affect people with glaucoma in multiple ways because the brain adapts to vision loss and compensates for some loss of vision.9,10
Vision impairment may be associated with reduced quality of life and decreased ability to perform activities of daily living.10
People with glaucoma have a
3x greater risk of falls.11-13
People with glaucoma are at a
6x greater risk for automobile accidents.12
CURRENT TREATMENTS
Current treatments to lower IOP and preserve sight include eye drops, laser trabeculoplasty, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery and incisional surgery.14
In open-angle glaucoma eye drops are the standard-of-care treatement, but not everyone takes their medicine or does so correctly. One reason for this is that up to 59% of people using drops have ocular surface disease.15
Ocular surface disease: characterized by burning, foreign body sensation, dry eye and light sensitivity.16
Up to 59%
of patients on treatment continue to progress, meaning they experience vision loss and damage to the optic nerve.15
Up to 80%
of patients are not using topical medications as prescribed.17
Looking for more information on glaucoma?
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Do you want to have a conversation with your doctor about your glaucoma care?
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RESOURCES
If you need additional resources or assistance, visit these important advocacy groups.
References: 1. World Health Organization. Glaucoma Is Second Leading Cause of Blindness Globally. WHO.int. https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/82/11/feature1104/en/. Accessed September 13, 2019. 2. Boyd K. What Is Glaucoma? aao.org. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma. Published August 28, 2019. Accessed September 13, 2019. 3. What Is Glaucoma? Glaucoma.org. https://www.glaucoma.org/glaucoma. Accessed September 13, 2019. 4. Types of Glaucoma. Glaucoma.org. https://www.glaucoma.org/glaucoma/types-of-glaucoma.php. Accessed September 13, 2019. 5. Peters D, et al. Lifetime risk of blindness in open-angle glaucoma. ajo.com. https://www/ajo.com/article/S0002-9394(13)00364-4/fulltext. Accessed on September 13, 2019. 6. Quigley HA. Number of People with Glaucoma Worldwide. Glaucoma.org. https://www.glaucoma.org/glaucoma/facts-statistics/glaucoma-facts-and-stats.php. Accessed September 13, 2019. 7. Nouri‐Mahdavi K, Hoffman D, Coleman AL, et al. Advanced glaucoma intervention study. Predictive factors for glaucomatous visual field progression in the advanced glaucoma intervention study. Ophthalmology. 2004;111(9):1627‐1635. 8. Asrani S, Zeimer R, Wilensky J, Gieser D, Vitale S, Lindenmuth K. Large diurnal fluctuations in intraocular pressure are an independent risk factor in patients with glaucoma. J Glaucoma. 2000;9(2):134‐142. 9. Hoste, AM. New insights into the subjective perception of visual field effects. Bull Soc Belge Opthalmol. 2003;(287):65-71. 10. Varma, R, Lee, PP, Goldberg, I, Kotak, S. An Assessment of the health and economic burdens of glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol. 2011;152(4):515-522. 11. De Luna R, Mihailovic A, Nguyen A, Friedman D, Gitlin L, Ramulu P. The association of glaucomatous visual field loss and balance. Transl Vis Sci Technol. 2017;6(3):8. 12. Haymes SA, Leblanc RP, Nicolela MT, Chiasson LA, Chauhan BC. Risk of falls and motor vehicle collisions in glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48(3):1149‐1155. 13. National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine. Making Eye Health A Population Health Imperative. nap.edu. https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23471/making-eye-health-a-population-health-imperative-vision-for-tomorrow. Accessed September 13, 2019. 14. Glaucoma. Mayoclinic.org. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glaucoma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372846. Accessed September 13, 2019. 15. Leske MC, Heijl A, Hyman L, Bengtsson B, Dong L, Yang Z; EMGT Group. Predictors of long‐term progression in the early manifest glaucoma trial. Ophthalmology. 2007; 114(11):1965‐1972. 16. Leung, E. Prevalence of Ocular Surface Disease in Glaucoma Patients. J Glaucoma. 2008; 17:350-355. 17. Gomes BF, Paredes AF, Madeira N, Moraes HV Jr, Santhiago MR. Assessment of eye drop instillation technique in glaucoma patients. Arq Bras Oftalmol. 2017; 80(4):238‐241.