<div>---------- Forwarded message ---------<br></div><div><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Gaston, Pamela</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov">Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Mar 7, 2022 at 5:39 PM<br>Subject: World Glaucoma Week (March 6 - 12)<br>To: Gaston, Pamela <<a href="mailto:Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov">Pamela.Gaston@dhs.nj.gov</a>><br></div><br><br>
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<span style="color:rgb(45,52,66);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:400">Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in the world. But despite how common it is, the disease is often misunderstood.
Many people do not understand who is affected by glaucoma and how severe the disease can be.</span><br>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt">There are over 40 different types of glaucoma. Two primary types are open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma. The “angle” refers to the drainage angle, or point between the iris and
cornea where fluid exits the eye. Normally the amount of fluid circulating in the eye and the amount that drains from the eye through the angle are properly balanced. But if fluid fails to drain properly, it disrupts the pressure inside the eye (intraocular
pressure).</span></p>
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<span style="color:rgb(45,52,66);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:400">In open-angle glaucoma, the drainage angle remains open, yet fluid drains very slowly from the eye (similar to a clogged kitchen drain). As a result,
intraocular pressure rises gradually. Open-angle glaucoma develops very slowly and the symptoms are usually not noticeable.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin:0px 0px 2rem;color:rgb(45,52,66);font-family:lato,sans-serif;font-size:15px;font-weight:400;text-align:start">
<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt">In angle-closure glaucoma, the angle closes or becomes blocked, and this causes the intraocular pressure to rise. Rarely, there can be a sudden spike in eye pressure with noticeable symptoms
like eye pain, headaches, nausea and vomiting.</span></p>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal">Some Statistics About Glaucoma</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">.</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">It is estimated that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">In the</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span><span style="margin:0px;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">U.S.,</span><span style="margin:0px"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">more
than 120,000 are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness.</span><small style="font-size:smaller"><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></small></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">After cataracts, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Blindness from glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">African Americans are 15 times more likely to be visually impaired from glaucoma than Caucasians.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">The most common form, open-angle glaucoma, accounts for 19% of all blindness among African Americans compared to 6% in Caucasians.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Other high-risk groups include: people over 60, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Estimates put the total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at over 60 million worldwide.</span><span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal"> </span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Public Awareness and Attitudes</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">A Prevent Blindness America Survey found that:</span><br>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">Blindness ranked third (after cancer and heart disease) as people's major fear.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">20% of people knew that glaucoma was related to elevated pressure within the eye. Most of them mistakenly thought people could tell if they had glaucoma due to symptoms,
or that it was easily cured, or that it did not lead to blindness.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">50% had heard of glaucoma, but weren't sure what it was.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14pt;line-height:normal">30% had never heard of glaucoma.</span></li></ul>
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<span style="margin:0px;font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;text-align:start;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;background-color:white"><i style="background-color:white"><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt">Image
NJCBVI Logo: </span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;text-align:left;background-color:white">Dark blue </span><span style="margin:0px;font-size:9pt;text-align:left;background-color:white">Braille cells that depict NJCBVI, with a gray hand hovering
over the letter "N" with the finger pointed to read; to the right and directly under the Braille cells is NJCBVI in large, bold, blue block letters under which in all caps is New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in gray letters.</span></i></span></span><br>
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</div></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><br>Warmly, <br>Linda Melendez, President<br>National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey<br>732-421-7063<br><a href="mailto:president@nfbnj.org">president@nfbnj.org</a><br><a href="http://www.nfbnj.org">www.nfbnj.org</a><br>Facebook: <a href="https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238">https://m.facebook.com/NFB-NJ-353099574776238</a><br></div>