To help raise awareness about the need for routine glaucoma check-ups, Congressman Barrow received a free glaucoma screening at the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation’s Mobile Eye Testing Station in Savannah. 

 

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve and can lead to blindness.  The most common form of glaucoma affects approximately 3,000,000 Americans.  Glaucoma has no readily apparent symptoms and half of all affected Americans do not realize that they have glaucoma until the disease begins to gradually steal their sight.  People over the age of 60 are six times more likely to develop glaucoma.  African Americans are five to seven times more likely to develop the disease, and Hispanics are also at a significantly higher risk.  However, anyone is susceptible to the disease and family history, diabetes and/or high blood pressure are contributing risk factors.

 

The Foundation conducts free screenings for churches, community organizations and groups at various events, including health fairs, town hall meetings, community centers, residential senior citizen centers and various annual events.
 
In addition to working with Members of Congress in setting up the screenings and arranging for medical staff to be present during the event, the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation actively works to ensure that individuals receive necessary treatment and follow-up care after the screenings are completed.

 

To learn more about Glaucoma, or to find out how you can set up a screening, visit the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation Website is: www.glaucomacongress.org