Glaucoma screening targets 'silent thief of sight'

Nevada Regional Medical Center will be doing its best Monday to arrest a menace known as "the silent thief of sight."

Working in conjunction with Mid-America Eye Center, the hospital will observe National Glaucoma Awareness Month with free screenings, 8:30-10:30 a.m., Monday, in the Mezzanine Conference Room at 800 S. Ash St.

Then from noon to 1 p.m., Jan. 21, in the conference room, Dr. Jeremy Fast of Eyecare Professionals will review the effects of the disease.

Appointments may be made by calling the NRMC Community Education Department at (417) 448-3622, but walk-ins "will also be welcome," said hospital foundation assistant Natalie Eberhard Tuesday.

Noting that 20 people were screened last year, Eberhard said, "It's painless -- just a quick look in the eyes."

She said the eye center will send a nurse to do the tests.

An insidious disease called "the silent thief of sight" because its most common form is asymptomatic until the advanced stages, glaucoma is usually associated with increased pressure of the fluid in the eye that results in damage to the optic nerve and loss of vision, according to medical references.

The most common form is "open angle" glaucoma in which the loss of vision takes place gradually over an extended period of time and the malady goes unnoticed by the victim until significant vision has been permanently lost.

"Open angle" glaucoma appears suddenly, is increasingly painful and often prompts the victim to get medical attention in time to be successfully treated. "Worldwide, it's the second leading cause of blindness," a reference said.

"If detected early enough, it is possible to arrest the development or slow the progression of the disease with medical and surgical means."

As the first leading cause of blindness among African-Americans, glaucoma affects one in 200 people aged 50 and younger and one in 10 over age 80.