Well over 80,000 Americans are legally blind due to glaucoma, and it is the single most common cause of irreversible blindness among African Americans. In addition, at least two million people are estimated to have glaucoma and sadly, half are unaware of it. Elevated intraocular pressure, family history and advanced age are significant risk factors for developing glaucoma. Please extend effort to ensure that a Medicare glaucoma detection benefit is included in any Medicare reform legislation. At this time, it's crucial to focus on prevention, since there is no cure.
Early detection is the key to saving sight and maintaining livelihood.