Beware of Blindness: Leading Causes of Vision Loss
September is Blindness Awareness Month. With California leading the nation in the number of patients with some form of visual disability, Sacramento eye doctor Stephen Wilmarth, MD, urges patients to seek professional care immediately if they suffer an eye injury or begin seeing a significant difference in vision clarity.
According to data gathered by the National Federation of the Blind, more than 700,000 people in California suffer from total or partial vision loss. Though infection or injury to crucial components in the eye can certainly lead to blindness, many of the most common causes of vision loss stem from conditions of the eye that develop with age.
Some of the leading causes of blindness worldwide include:
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Glaucoma
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Macular degeneration
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Diabetic retinopathy
- best defense against blindness at any age is a healthy lifestyle, wearing protective gear in sunlight and around hazardous conditions, and seeing your eye doctor every one to two years. As part of your free vision consultation, Dr. Wilmarth will perform a thorough evaluation of your vision prescription and the health of structures in your eyes.
Many of the conditions that cause blindness can be caught and treated early with a simple eye exam. Please contact Wilmarth Eye and Laser Center or call (916) 850-3060 today to schedule an appointment with our Sacramento eye doctor.