WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Downtown Health Plaza of Baptist Hospital will host a free glaucoma screening sponsored by the Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation in partnership with the office of 12th District Congressman Mel Watt on Wednesday, Aug. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Downtown Health Plaza is at 1200 N. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr.
Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve—the nerve that carries messages from the eye to the brain. This incurable disease has no noticeable symptoms or early warning signs. Glaucoma affects 3 million Americans—many of whom are not aware that they have the disease.
Those at greatest risk include:
• Anyone over age 60.
• African-Americans over age 40.
• Individuals of Hispanic/Latino origin.
• People with a family history of glaucoma.
• People with diabetes and/or high blood pressure.
The Friends of the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded to provide free diagnostic screenings for high-risk groups across the United States and assist in the fight against glaucoma and other sight-threatening eye diseases. For information, contact Pam Stubbs, (336) 275-9950.
###
Media Contacts: Jim Steele, jsteele@wfubmc.edu, Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, at (336) 716-4587.
About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,187 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.