Are You at Risk For Developing Glaucoma? What You Need to Know

There is a reason for why it is recommended that you visit an eye doctor at least once a year, even if you don’t have poor eyesight. Glaucoma is something that doctors look for during eye examinations.

If you are not familiar with glaucoma, then you should be aware of the risk factors of glaucoma, and whether or not they apply to you.

Are you at risk for developing glaucoma? Here are some things you need to know:

What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the United States. It is actually a family of conditions, characterized by damage to the optic nerve.

When the optic nerve is damaged, it is unable to function properly and it therefore cannot send accurate vision data to the brain to be processed. The result is that you can no longer see – either partially or completely.

What causes glaucoma? Glaucoma is most often caused by pressure inside the fluid-filled portion of the eye, called intraocular pressure (IOP).

This pressure may be the result of a number of different health conditions that are not necessarily related to the eye, but it always inevitably interferes with the eye’s ability to secrete excess fluid.

This, in turn, causes fluid build-up – and pressure – which damages the nerve leading from the back of the eye to the brain.

Who is at risk for glaucoma? As previously mentioned, there are certain health conditions that are proven to be directly associated with the development of glaucoma.

People with diabetes, myopia, certain systemic disorders, and with any condition that requires the use of corticosteroids are at an increased risk of developing glaucoma.

Anyone age 60 or older is more vulnerable to developing glaucoma, as is anyone with a history of high IOP. Additionally, glaucoma tends to run in families, and is more prevalent in people of African, Mexican, and Asian descent.

What are the warning signs? There are different types of glaucoma – some slow-acting and difficult to sense, and others fast-acting and undeniably painful.

Symptoms of glaucoma include a steady loss of peripheral vision, sharp pain in the eye, cloudy vision, a swollen-feeling eye, nausea/vomiting, red eye, excessive tearing, and/or a rainbow-like halo effect around lights.

Certain types of eye surgery may also trigger glaucoma, so you should be on the lookout for warning signs even if you aren’t in the risk factor groups.

If you have any of the risk factors for developing glaucoma, then you should have a full eye exam at least once a year, or even more, if your doctor recommends it.

Even if you don’t think you are at risk, you should see an eye doctor regularly for safety’s sake.