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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans. However, new treatments have dramatically changed the course of this disease over the last 10 years, making AMD more manageable than ever before. The key to saving your sight is early detection combined with treatments based on modern medicine.

Glaucoma damages the optic nerve in your eye. The optic nerve carries information from the eye to the brain, allowing you to see clearly. Glaucoma occurs when fluid builds up in your eye, increasing the eye’s pressure. This increase in pressure slowly damages the millions of fibers that make up your eye’s optic nerve.

There is an abundance of external factors that influence every individual’s health, wellbeing and quality of life. Collectively, these factors are known as Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and are significant indicators of health disparities, which are often most visible in underserved or overlooked populations. Addressing SDoH is a necessary step to rectify these disparities, and innovative eye health programs can help to do so.

More than 350 different eye diseases can be directly linked to hereditary factors. Moreover, many other health conditions with a genetic component, including diabetes, have eye disease as a hallmark, such as macular degeneration or retinopathy. However, many people with a genetic predisposition to some form of eye disease are unaware they are at high risk of vision loss.

According to the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), more than 40% of U.S. adults age 30 years or over are estimated to have some degree of periodontitis. Reducing periodontal disease can significantly decrease the risk for any number of diseases for which a link has been proven, including glaucoma.