“Why the urgency? Glaucoma, often called the silent thief of sight, is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the United States, yet as many as half of the people who have it don’t know they are affected.

Glaucoma is not just one disease. It is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, the cable that sends visual information from your eye to your brain. Most types of glaucoma are linked to high intraocular pressure, although some people develop glaucoma without it.

A 2024 meta-analysis estimated that about 4.22 million adults in the United States have glaucoma, and more than 1.4 million already have vision loss from the disease. Globally, glaucoma affects an estimated 80 million people, a number expected to rise as populations age.”

Glaucoma Research Foundation (Don’t Let The Silent Thief Steal Your Sight: January Is Glaucoma Awareness Month – Glaucoma Research Foundation)