By Jessica Philbrook, O.D.
Special to the Pioneer Times
Q: My mother was told by her eye doctor that she has glaucoma and I was wondering if it runs in families and if there are other eye diseases that are inherited?
A: The answer to both of your questions is yes! Most people do not realize the importance of knowing their family eye history. Many conditions of the eye, from the need for glasses to blindness-causing eye diseases, are passed from generation to generation. For example, amblyopia, more commonly know as lazy eye, is highly hereditary and any child with a family member that has lazy eye should be seen prior to age one. Myopia (near-sightedness) and hyperopia (far-sightedness) are both often passed on from parents and family members.
In the case of glaucoma, studies have actually shown, that having a sibling with the disease puts you at even greater risk than having a parent with glaucoma. Research on macular degeneration has also found a genetic link associated with the disease. Some of the more rare ocular diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa, where gradual loss of all peripheral vision occurs, and Stargardt’s Disease, a type of macular degeneration that affects young people also run in families.
Knowing your family eye history and letting your eye doctor know will help your doctor to watch for particular signs or symptoms and allows them to give you specific recommendations to help prevent the occurrence or progression of these eye conditions. For instance, with macular degeneration, there are vitamins that have been shown to slow the progression of the disease. And with glaucoma, there is additional testing that should be done to determine if you have other risk factors. The more risk factors there are, the greater the incidence.
So, talk with your parents, and your brothers and sisters to make sure they are visiting their eye doctors regularly and find out which eye conditions run in your family. Inform your doctor of these factors and they can examine you with these risks in mind to keep your eyes as healthy as possible in the days to come.
