GLAUCOMA RISK FACTORSOphthalmologist Carolina Valdivia, MD discusses common glaucoma risk factors, along with specific ones that are associated different forms of this disease. Glaucoma is not picky. Anyone can get it. But there are certain factors that place people at greater risk for this chronic degenerative eye disease. Below is a list of common glaucoma risk factors.
High blood pressure (systemic hypertension) and consistently elevated levels of cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) also have been linked to glaucoma. If you are being treated for either or both of these conditions by your primary-care physician, it is important that you inform your ophthalmologist, so that she or he can coordinate your care with your primary doctor and monitor you for symptoms of glaucoma. So that you can have a better understanding of what being a member of one or more of these glaucoma risk groups means to you, I have prepared the short video below.
There also are glaucoma risk factors that are specific for certain types of this chronic degenerative eye disease. For example, having thin corneas places a person at risk for primary open-angle glaucoma. As its name suggests, the use of certain drugs for prolonged periods, most notably those containing steroid preparations, is a risk factor for drug-induced glaucoma. In primary angle-closure glaucoma, female gender and having hypermetropia place a person at elevated risk. Cataracts and age are risk factors for several lens-related types of the disease, such as lens particle glaucoma, phacolytic glaucoma, and phacomorphic glaucoma. In the case of pigmentary glaucoma, young age (20-45 years), male gender, and myopia are specific risk factors. Finally, sarcoidosis and high cholesterol are independent risk factors for neovascular glaucoma. As I mention in the video, having any of these common or specific glaucoma risks factors in your history does not mean that you are destined to develop glaucoma. On the contrary, most people do not develop glaucoma despite being a member of a risk group. However, if you fall into one or more of the above risk categories, it does mean that you need be diligent about having regular eye examinations with an ophthalmologist. Each visit, at a minimum, should measure your intraocular pressure. This will promote early detection, which is significant for managing this chronic degenerative eye disease. Return from Glaucoma Risk Factors to Glaucoma Information |