Glaucoma

SEE WHAT I SEE

[pic]

Cataracts

There are over 1 million Cataract operations performed annually in the USA.  Cataract surgery is an outpatient procedure with a very high success rate.  Due tothe lack of modern medical technology in the developing world, it is also the world's leading cause of blindness.  Over 16 million people are blind from cataracts.

[pic]

[pic]

DiabeticRetinopathy

This complication of diabetes is a leading cause of blindness among middle-aged Americans.  The longer a person has had diabetes the more apt they are to develop diabetic retinopathy.  Lasersurgery can slow the progression of this disease along with management of blood glucose levels.  There are 2.4 million people blind from retinopathy worldwide.

[pic]

[pic]

Glaucoma

Thisdisease increases the fluid pressure inside the eye, leading to loss of side vision and eventually total blindness.  The increased pressure destroys the optic nerve.  With early detection, it can bekept under control with pressure reducing eye drops and surgery.  Chances of developing it increase with age.  There are over five million people blind from glaucoma worldwide.

[pic]

[pic]Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

This is a degenerative disease of the macula; the macula is the part of the retina responsible for central vision.  There is no way yet of repairing the visionthat has been lost, but if detected early laser surgery can help slow the progression of the disease.  (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over age 65.  Eight million people are legallyblind from macular degeneration worldwide and as the population ages this number is expected to grow.

[pic]

[pic]

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP)

This rare inherited degenerative disease slowlydestroys the retina.  Signs of (RP) first show up in early childhood.  The side vision is lost first.  The disease progresses over many years leaving the person with only a small portion of their...