January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve. It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of your eye. That extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve. More than 3 million Americans have glaucoma. Some people have a higher than normal risk of getting glaucoma.

People at risk for glaucoma

  • are over age 40
  • have family members with glaucoma
  • are of African, Hispanic, or Asian heritage
  • have high eye pressure
  • are farsighted or nearsighted
  • have had an eye injury
  • use long-term steroid medications
  • have corneas that are thin in the center
  • have thinning of the optic nerve
  • have diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, poor blood circulation or other health problems affecting the whole body

Early detection is very important and everyone should have periodic eye exams, how often depends on your risk factors. Discuss with your doctor how often you should have an eye exam and follow through with those recommendations.

For more information on glaucoma visit these websites:

For information about scheduling an ophthalmology appointment contact Ophthalmology at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Ophthalmology Clinic, University of Vermont Medical Center
111 Colchester Avenue
Main Campus, West Pavilion, Level 5
Burlington, Vermont  05401
802-847-0400

If you have a question or can’t find what you are looking for, contact the Fymoyer Community Health Resource Center at the UVM Medical Center. We can find the information for you or refer you to the best sources.

Call us at 802-847-8821 or e-mail us at ResourceCenter [at] UVMHealth.org (ResourceCenter[at]UVMHealth[dot]org). Visit us on the 3rd Level of the Main Pavilion at the Medical Center, or learn more at our website.

Alan P. Lampson, MLS, is a medical librarian and the lead at the Frymoyer Community Health Resource Center at the UVM Medical Center.

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