Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. It was once thought that high intraocular pressure (IOP) was the main cause of this damage. We now know that other factors must also be involved since people with "normal" IOP can experience vision loss from glaucoma. Glaucoma is a chronic disease. It must be treated for life. Currently, its causes are not well understood and there is no cure.

• 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it.

• Approximately 120,000 are blind from glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the U.S.

• About 2% of the population ages 40-50 and 8% over 70 have elevated IOP.

• Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S. and the first leading cause of preventable blindness.

• Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans.

• Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians.

• African-Americans ages 45-65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group.

• The most common form, Open Angle Glaucoma, accounts for 19% of all blindness among African-Americans compared to 6% in Caucasians.

• Other high-risk groups include: people over 60, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted.

• Estimates put the total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at around 65 million worldwide.