January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

With January designated as National Glaucoma Awareness Month, we ask you to join CMS in promoting increased awareness of glaucoma and the glaucoma screening service covered by Medicare. Today, more than 2.2 million Americans age 40 and older have open angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma, and at least half don't even know they have it. Through early detection and treatment, we can help prevent blindness.

 

 Medicare provides coverage of an annual glaucoma screening for beneficiaries in at least one of the following high-risk groups:

 

• Individuals with diabetes mellitus
• Individuals with a family history of glaucoma
• African-Americans age 50 and older
• Hispanic-Americans age 65 and older

Medicare’s coverage of glaucoma screening includes a dilated eye examination with an intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement and a direct ophthalmoscopy examination or a slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination.  What Can You Do?  As a healthcare professional who provides care to seniors and others with Medicare, you can help protect the vision of your patients who may be at high-risk for glaucoma by educating them about their risk factors and reminding them of the importance of getting an annual glaucoma screening exam covered by Medicare.

 

 

For More Information:

• The CMS Glaucoma Screening Brochure
• The CMS Guide to Medicare Preventive Services (see Chapter 7)
• The MLN Preventive Services Educational Products Webpage
• The National Eye Institute

 

Thank you for joining CMS in promoting increased awareness of glaucoma and the glaucoma screening benefit covered by Medicare.