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Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett’s untimely death in early 2006 brought to mind the day ten years before when he announced his early retirement from the sport. He had awoken one morning in March 1996 with blurred vision, and by the end of that season, he had retired. What happened? What caused Kirby Puckett, who led the Minnesota Twins to win two World Series, to leave the sport he loved? What kind of disease can make such a thing happen? Could it happen to you?

The disease is glaucoma. It is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States. And it is on the rise here in the CNMI. There are two dangerous things about glaucoma.

• First, you can have it for many years without even knowing it. It causes damage slowly and gradually over time, with no symptoms at all. Glaucoma quietly steals your sight away from you. That’s why it’s often called “the sneaky thief of sight”.

• Second, the damage is permanent. Once glaucoma causes loss of vision, you cannot get that vision back – not through glasses or medicine or surgery or laser or diet or anything. Glaucoma causes permanent loss of vision.

Good News. The damage from glaucoma can be prevented, but only if you know you have glaucoma and get it treated. In fact, glaucoma is the main reason that the American Association of Ophthalmology recommends that adults get an eye exam even if they have no vision problems at all: once during your 20’s; twice during your 30’s; and then every few years during your 40’s and on.

Loss of Vision. Glaucoma may be slowly and relentlessly and painlessly causing permanent damage to your eyes right now. You won’t know it. You can’t even recognize the damaging effects, because glaucoma attacks the peripheral vision. A gradual loss of peripheral vision is difficult to notice. When you finally do notice it, there will hardly be any vision left, and you won’t be able to get your vision back.

Who can get glaucoma? Anyone. But there are some people who are at higher risk.

• If someone else in your family has glaucoma, it puts you at higher risk.

• If you have diabetes, your chances of having glaucoma are higher.

• If you are African-American, you are at high risk for glaucoma.

But there are plenty of people who are Chamorro or Filipino or Caucasian or any ethnicity, who have no family members with glaucoma and who don’t have diabetes, who walk in for an eye exam and are found to have glaucoma. Any of us could have glaucoma and not know it.

Catching it Early. The goal is to find glaucoma early, before it has stolen much of the sight. When it is caught early, medications can be used that will prevent further damage. Having glaucoma doesn’t mean you will lose your vision. Finding glaucoma early means you can keep your vision healthy for your entire life. Glaucoma can be controlled with medications or other treatment. It needs to be monitored regularly. Marianas Eye Institute is one of the few eye clinics in the Mariana Islands with the advanced technologies required to catch glaucoma early and to monitor its progression carefully.

Beat Glaucoma. Knowing all of this, you can understand how glaucoma snuck up and stole Kirby Puckett’s sight and ended his career. It could happen to any of us, and might be happening to you right now. Find out. An eye exam at Marianas Eye Institute is the first step to catch this “sneaking thief of sight”, and help you keep your vision.