THE FRIENDS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL

GLAUCOMA CAUCUS FOUNDATION

The Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation

and the Maryland Society for Sight Partner to

Provide Glaucoma Screenings and Awareness

The Maryland Society for Sight has partnered with the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation to provide glaucoma screenings and education to those those who may be at risk of the disease.

The Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation is a bipartisan group which was founded to bring together eye care professionals, blindness prevention groups, industry spokespeople and others interested in preventing the disease. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which damages the optic nerve and can cause vision loss or blindness if left untreated. Half of the people with glaucoma don’t know it because it usually destroys vision without any pain. By the time people notice changes in their vision, glaucoma has already caused permanent damage. But if glaucoma is diagnosed in its earliest stages, it is usually a readily treatable condition.

With the support of the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation, the Maryland Society for Sight is conducting glaucoma screenings in Maryland at senior centers, businesses, churches, health fairs and clubs. Last year the Society provided glaucoma screening and education for over 1,500 people.

The Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation leadership envisions a nationwide network of eye care professionals as well as trained staff and volunteers who would conduct glaucoma screenings and educate people about the disease. The screenings are intended to accomplish three vital goals:

Screen for glaucoma and other visual acuity problems;
Ensure proper follow-up and treatment of those screened; and
Collect data on glaucoma and other eye diseases.

People at high risk for glaucoma need to receive a dilated eye exam every one to two years. Individuals at high risk for glaucoma include Blacks over age 40, everyone over age 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma.

The Maryland Society for Sight is very grateful to the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation for its generous support of the Glaucoma Screening and Awareness Program. We hope that through this partnership, we can educate more people about glaucoma and prevent people from losing their sight from the disease.

For more information about glaucoma, or to request a glaucoma screening for your business or organization, please contact the Maryland Society for Sight at 410-243-2020 or 800-MSS-EYES or email us at info@mdsocietyforsight.org.

The Maryland Society for Sight brought its vision van to Autumn Harvest and conducted visual acuity and glaucoma screenings at the Autumn Harvest on Saturday November 18, 2006. To read more, click here.

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