For most patients who have glaucoma, high eye pressure (also called high intraocular pressure or IOP) is the number one risk factor that increases the chance of vision loss. It is normal for all people to have eye pressures that are within a healthy range. However, high eye pressure can slowly cause damage to the optic nerve.
In addition to high eye pressure, there are many risk factors for glaucoma including;
If you have been diagnosed with high eye pressure or glaucoma, sudden and large changes in eye pressures can also increase the risk for vision loss. If you take a glaucoma eye drop medication, forgetting to take your medication or skipping doses can cause increased changes in eye pressure.
High eye pressure is the number one risk factor for the most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). If your eye pressure is high or outside of a healthy range, it can increase your risk of vision loss over time by damaging the optic nerve.
Sudden large changes in eye pressure
Recently, glaucoma specialists reviewed clinical studies that showed that sudden large changes in eye pressure increase the risk of vision loss in patients with high eye pressure or glaucoma.
If you have side effects from your glaucoma medication, a busy schedule, or difficulty applying your glaucoma eye drops, you may sometimes miss doses of your glaucoma eye drops. Not taking glaucoma medications as prescribed by your doctor can increase the changes in eye pressure. If your eye doctor is concerned about the risks associated with missing your glaucoma eye drops, he or she may suggest other glaucoma treatments, such as a procedure or surgery, to reduce your need for glaucoma medications.
As people grow older, the risk of developing glaucoma increases. You are more likely to develop glaucoma if you are 60 years of age or older. However, it is not uncommon for people in their forties and fifties to have high eye pressure or glaucoma. If you are under the age of 60, but have one or more of the other risk factors for glaucoma, it is important to see an eye doctor on a regular basis.
If you have blood relatives who have been diagnosed with glaucoma, your risk of developing the disease is higher than that of someone who does not have a family history of glaucoma.
If you are African American, your risk of having glaucoma is six to eight times greater than that of someone who is Caucasian.
If you are Hispanic, your risk of glaucoma is greater than that of someone who is of a European decent.
Steroid use associated with asthma
If you have severe asthma and need to take high doses of steroids from an inhaler, your risk of having high eye pressure and open-angle glaucoma may be greater than that of someone who does not require steroid treatment. A clinical study showed that there was a 40% increase in the occurrence of high eye pressure and glaucoma in adults who took 14 to 35 puffs of steroid inhaler a day.
Other glaucoma risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, and nearsightedness (not being able to see things that are far away).
What should I do if I have any of the glaucoma risk factors?
If you have one or more glaucoma risk factors and are over the age of 35, you should make sure that you visit your eye doctor for a full glaucoma eye exam. Early detection and treating high eye pressure is your best defense against glaucoma.
The above content is modified from the Glaucoma Research Foundation.
