January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

Hello everyone,

Make sure to pick up your copy of the Hamburg Area Item today. On page A8, there is a wonderfully written article about Glaucoma Awareness Month, which is this month. There is also a photo of your local Bernville Eye Doctor taking a digital photograph of a patient's optic nerve. The practice is offering FREE vision screenings for glaucoma until the end of the month. Each screening will take only 10-15 minutes, but an appointment is necessary to ensure you get the individualized attention that you need. The screening is not a substitute for an eye exam, but will allow me to gauge a few risk factors for developing the disease. Remember though, it's not a complete eye examination, just a screening.

Well, if you are unable to find it online or pick up a hard copy, I copied the article below. Enjoy!

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BERNVILLE, PA – Eat fewer sweets. Watch less television. Quit smoking—the New Year’s resolutions people choose often require subtracting something from their routine.

“We encourage you to add something to your list of resolutions in 2011: schedule an eye exam for yourself and your family,” said Dr. Brendon J. Weaver of Weaver Eye Care Associates in Bernville. “Regular, comprehensive eye exams ensure that patients can see clearly and comfortably, but the exam is also a tool in assuring that no adverse medical conditions are present, such as glaucoma.”

January is a month of resolution-making, but it is also National Glaucoma Awareness Month. Glaucoma is an eye disease labeled as the “sneak thief of sight,” because as much as 40% of vision can be lost before glaucoma symptoms occur.

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, over 4 million Americans and over 700 million people worldwide have glaucoma. Half of those people are not even aware they have the disease.

Dr. Weaver emphasized the importance of routine care in the case of glaucoma. “Early on in the disease, there are no symptoms or pain present, which is why it is extremely important to have regular eye exams. With glaucoma, vision loss is gradual. By the time a patient may recognize something is wrong, the vision loss cannot be restored. Recognizing the disease and starting early treatment may slow down or halt any future vision loss caused by glaucoma.”

In accordance with National Glaucoma Awareness Month, Dr. Weaver is offering glaucoma screenings at his office in Bernville. These screenings are free and are available to anyone by calling the office phone number to make an appointment.

“Increasing age and a family history of glaucoma are risk factors for developing the disease,” said Dr. Weaver. “The screening will allow me to take a few measurements to calculate a patient's risk level and determine if they would require further testing and evaluation. I hope that many people, in Bernville and the surrounding areas, take advantage of this excellent opportunity to get checked for glaucoma...especially those who may have never had an eye exam.”

Dr. Weaver is a graduate of Elizabethtown College in 1999 and the New England College of Optometry in 2003. He has been providing eye care services to residents of Berks County since 2004. His new practice, Weaver Eye Care Associates, is located at 7185 Bernville Rd. (Rt. 183) in Bernville, across the street from Boyer's Food Market.

To schedule your free glaucoma screening, please call Weaver Eye Care Associates at (610) 488-5315. For more information about Dr. Weaver and the practice, visit www.weavereyecare.com.

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Keep your eyes healthy!

Sincerely,
Dr. Weaver