glaucoma<\/strong><\/a> exist and might provide clues about what causes it. Age, for example, is a clear risk factor. Another example: open-angle glaucoma is rare among Americans under age 50, but affects nearly 8% of Americans over 80.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLong before we grow old and even before we\u2019re born, other\nfactors come into play, including ancestry. Open-angle glaucoma is about five\ntimes more common among African-Americans and Mexican-Americans compared to\nWhites, and has an earlier, more rapid course in African- Americans. Family\nhistory also has a strong influence. A person\u2019s risk of developing open-angle\nglaucoma is about 10 times higher if a parent or sibling has it, and the risk\nis higher still if an identical twin has it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As researchers continue to dig deeper into the genetics of\nopen-angle glaucoma, sometimes open-angle glaucoma is passed from parent to\nchild due to defects within a single gene. Eight such genes have been\nidentified so far, and they tend to cause glaucoma with an early onset before\nage 50. Due to these discoveries, there are now genetic tests that can help\npeople with early-onset glaucoma determine the risk that their children will\ninherit the disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Like a thief in the night, glaucoma can rob you of your vision, slowly damaging your eyes and causing irreparable harm. Despite having been around for eons, researchers remain puzzled by what causes glaucoma in most cases. While available treatments can delay vision loss, there is no cure for glaucoma, resulting in the eye condition … <\/p>\n
Continue reading “Glaucoma \u2013 More Than Meets The Eye”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[17,19],"yoast_head":"\nGlaucoma \u2013 More Than Meets The Eye - Vision Express Saint Lucia<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n