The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the MUSC Storm Eye Institute are encouraging glaucoma screening to help losing vision to the “sneak thief of sight.” Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, affects about three million Americans. Half of them are unaware they have it, as glaucoma usually has no symptoms and robs vision gradually.

As part of the Storm Eye Institutes’s commitment to the preservation of sight and the elimination of preventable blindness, the institute will provide free screening for glaucoma at MUSC on Friday, Jan. 23. To make an appointment, call Health Connection at 792-1414.

Glaucoma is a disease that usually has to do with pressure inside the eye. The pressure can build up when the clear fluid that normally flows around the eye doesn’t drain properly. This can hurt the optic nerve, which carries the images we see to the brain.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that all Americans older than 40 have a medical eye examination every three to five years. Those in higher-risk groups should be checked earlier, and then every one to two years.

Risk factors for glaucoma include: over age 40 (Risk increases with age); African American heritage and over age 35; close relative with glaucoma; and no medical eye exam for more than two years.