Glaucoma is an eye disorder that causes damage to the optic nerve. People with glaucoma lose nerve tissue, which leads to vision loss. Damage to the optic nerve stems from high pressure on the eyes. The optic nerve sends visual information from the eye to the brain and is necessary for good vision. A person can develop glaucoma even with normal eye pressure.
What are the Risk Factors of Glaucoma?
Before we get into the risk factors of glaucoma, lets briefly sum up the symptoms to help you understand the types of glaucoma and their risk factors. The symptoms are related to the type and stage of glaucoma as mentioned below:
- Open-angle glaucoma: No symptoms in the early stage, blind spots in side vision, etc
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma: Severe headache, pain, eye redness, blurred vision, etc
- Glaucoma in children: Dull or cloudy eyes, increased blinking, headache, tears without crying, etc
- Pigmentary glaucoma: Halos around eyes, blurred vision with exercise, loss of side vision,
The risk factors of glaucoma are many. It is thought that age increases one's likelihood of developing glaucoma. The Glaucoma Foundation advises individuals aged 40 and above to get a comprehensive eye screening every two years for glaucoma. The chances multiply if you are an African-American or hail from Africa. Angle-closure glaucoma is seen more in people of Asian origin, while low-tension glaucoma is mostly observed in Japanese people. According to research, poor eyesight has also been linked to the development of glaucoma in the future.
Another cause of glaucoma is increased pressure on the eyes from accident, injury, or surgery. This can happen during the trauma stage or in the future. People with diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, and sickle cell anaemia can also develop glaucoma. Apart from these, the other risk factors of glaucoma include the usage of corticosteroid medicines. Corticosteroids are drugs that act as hormones the body is capable of developing naturally; if taken for a long duration, they can put a person at risk of developing glaucoma. Apart from the above-listed factors, another one is thin corneas. The cornea is the dome-shaped outer layer that covers the front of the eye. The chances of developing glaucoma increase if it runs in your family. So, if one of your parents or other relatives had glaucoma, your risk of glaucoma increases.
Conclusion
Here, we have discussed the potential factors for the risk of glaucoma. They include age, high pressure on the eyes, diabetes, hypertension, prolonged use of corticosteroids, etc. As such, health insurance is highly advisable to reduce the financial distress that comes with such diseases.