Glaucoma surgeon: Black Americans five times more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasians

A local surgeon says the disease, which causes damage to the optic nerve, occurs about 10 years earlier among Black Americans than it does in any other ethnic population.

News 12 Staff

Feb 15, 2023, 3:45 PM

Updated 572 days ago

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During Black History Month, a local medical doctor is building awareness about glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness among Black Americans.
Dr. Thandi Myeni, a cataract and glaucoma surgeon, says African Americans are five times more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasian Americans.
She says the disease, which causes damage to the optic nerve, occurs about 10 years earlier among Black Americans than it does in any other ethnic population.