Glaucoma Risk Factors
Glaucoma is a serious eye health issue that you need to take seriously. It’s often difficult to detect and may actually develop over many years. Given this, many people have dubbed glaucoma the silent thief of eyesight. Approximately 1 in 200 people under the age of 50 develops glaucoma, and roughly 1 in 10 people older than 80 may develop glaucoma. At our Monterey and Salinas eye care centers, our team of eye care professionals will thoroughly screen your eyes to ensure that glaucoma is caught early. Early detection means more effective treatment.
Glaucoma is caused by the poor drainage of the fluids in the eye. This leads to an excess build-up of pressure within the eye, which is also called intraocular pressure. This can damage the optic nerve over time, leading to severe vision impairment and even blindness.
There are many factors that come into play when it comes to glaucoma. When you visit our offices in Monterey and Salinas for glaucoma testing, we’ll look over your full medical history and perform a tonometer to check on the pressure within your eye. Below are a few risk factors to keep in mind when it comes to glaucoma.
Age, of course, is a major factor to keep in mind. As the statistics we shared early show, the older a person gets, the more likely he or she is to develop glaucoma.
If you have relatives who have had glaucoma, you are certainly more likely to develop glaucoma down the road. Be sure to note this with us during your visit so we can take this into account as we examine your eye health.
Your ethnic background may also come into play when it comes to glaucoma. Generally, African-Americans are more likely to develop glaucoma than Caucasians. The same holds true for other ethnic groups.
Finally, other health conditions and eye conditions may mean increased risk for glaucoma. People with hypothyroidism or diabetes are more likely to develop glaucoma, for instance. Eye injuries and other eye conditions can affect the intraocular pressure as well.
If you would like more information about glaucoma and other important eye health topics, contact our Monterey eye care and ophthalmology centers today. We look forward to meeting you in person and improving your overall quality of vision.
