Am I at Risk for Glaucoma?

Glaucoma develops when the pressure inside your eye becomes too high, damaging the optic nerve; many different factors can affect the development of the condition.^1,2

Some factors can make you more likely than someone else to develop glaucoma.²

Glaucoma risk factors

Age

Your risk of getting glaucoma increases as you get older.^1,2,3

DID YOU KNOW? It’s estimated that 10% of people aged 75 and older have primary open-angle glaucoma.^1,2

Genetics and family history

If someone in your immediate family has primary open-angle glaucoma, you have a higher risk of developing it too.^1,2,3

DID YOU KNOW? Around half of all primary open-angle glaucoma patients have a positive family history, and their close relatives (parents, siblings or children) have an approximately 9-fold increased risk of developing glaucoma.³

Race

People of African descent have a higher risk of open-angle glaucoma than Caucasian people, and are 15 times more likely to experience blindness from open-angle glaucoma.^1,3
People of Asian and Inuit descent have a higher risk of angle-closure glaucoma than Caucasian people.^1,3

Gender

Research shows that:

Men are more likely than women to develop primary open-angle glaucoma.²
Women have a higher risk than men of developing angle-closure glaucoma.^1,2,3

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: What’s the difference between primary open-angle glaucoma and angle-closure glaucoma? You can read more about the different types of glaucoma here.

Medical conditions

Some studies have linked certain health conditions to a higher risk of glaucoma, including:

Diabetes^1,2,3
Hypertension (high blood pressure)^1,2,3
Migraine^2,3
Myopia (short-sightedness)^2,3

Eye injuries

Trauma to the eye (such as a sports injury) can cause internal damage and increase pressure inside the eye.⁴ Sometimes glaucoma can develop years after the injury happened.⁴

Medications

Some types of medications (for example, steroid inhalers used to control asthma) can increase your risk of higher inner-eye pressure and glaucoma.^1,2,5

Lifestyle factors

Research has shown that there may be a link between higher glaucoma risk and certain lifestyle factors, like smoking, obesity or lack of exercise.^2,3,6,7

Who is affected by glaucoma?

The prevalence of glaucoma is growing as the world’s population gets older.⁸ By 2040, it’s expected that approximately 111.8 million people around the world will be affected by glaucoma.²

Early detection is essential – get tested

There is no cure for glaucoma, but the disease can be managed with the right treatment.^1,9 Early detection and treatment can help prevent unnecessary vision loss.^1,2

Protect your sight – make an appointment with an eye care professional for a complete eye health exam (including eye dilation) to check for glaucoma.¹