Is glaucoma hereditary – Credihealth Blog

Glaucoma means increased pressure because of the accumulation of fluid in the eyes. Suppose glaucoma has affected your parents or siblings; you are at higher risk of having glaucoma. Glaucoma is the most common problem among people. Additionally, the causes vary from person to person. Usually, glaucoma is seen in the elders; however, early onset depends upon genetic factors. According to WHO4.5 million people are blind due to glaucoma. In India, 12 million people are blind, and 1.2 million are blind due to glaucoma. Many people have questions concerning is glaucoma hereditary?

In this blog, I will explain all the factors that are the reason for glaucoma and its treatment. Let’s dive into the topic deeply.

Do you know is glaucoma hereditary?

Some genes accompany the risk of glaucoma in a person. Researchers suggested that some genes do not guarantee the disease. However, some genes are related to primary angle closure glaucoma. A form of a gene called PACG called exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) is linked to the disease.

In some cases, glaucoma may develop at birth. An abnormal copy of genes that CYP1B1 is responsible for the children’s glaucoma. Moreover, scientists researched that gene variants dramatically increase the risk of glaucoma. Still, preventive measures or techniques are only sometimes found to be 100% effective. Let’s look at the two types of glaucoma.

Is open-angle glaucoma hereditary?

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common and mainly occurs due to heredity. Open-angle glaucoma increases the risk if a family member already suffers from the disease. Therefore, informing an ophthalmologist is necessary to take some preventive measures for the upcoming baby.

Is closed-angle glaucoma hereditary?

If we come to a closed-angle, glaucoma is quite rare; it is hereditary, though. Closed-angle glaucoma appears instantly and without any signs or symptoms. It requires immediate action, therefore, if you feel anything abnormal. Inform your ophthalmologist and give the detailed history of the family. If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, inform your siblings to take preventive measures.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma can occur at any age and causes blindness. The loss of vision is irreversible. Therefore, it is necessary to check any signs and symptoms of glaucoma. It is mainly due to the accumulation of fluid, which increases the pressure in the eyes. This pressure is called intraocular pressure.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

The signs and symptoms severity and the type of glaucoma. The conditions and complaints change according to the categories of glaucoma. The progression of glaucoma causes:

• The blind spot in your peripheral or central
• Tunnel vision

In angle-closure glaucoma, you will notice and experience various problems are:

• Severe Headache
• Eye pain
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Halos
• Eye redness

The risk factors for glaucoma

There are various risk factors of glaucoma are:

• Race
• Age
• Family History
• Steroid use
• Eye injury
• High myopia
• Hypertension
• Central corneal thickness

What are the types of glaucoma?

Many types of glaucoma have different causative factors and symptoms. I have listed some main glaucoma types which mainly occur among the population. All these are given in the following:

• Open-angle glaucoma
• Angle-closure glaucoma
• Normal-tension glaucoma

Let’s study them closely and understand how they are different from others.

This glaucoma occurs when the fluid does not drain outside the eyes. The drainage directly causes increased pressure in the eyes. The tension rises, and optic nerves start to damage. Eventually, you start losing your vision.

The condition does not show any specific signs; however, people reported that they experience tunnel vision in the progressive stage.

Angle-closure glaucoma has significant side effects on vision. There is some defect in the iris as it is not wide open. It blocks drainage, which results in the accumulation of fluid in the eyes. Eventually, it increases the pressure in the eyes.

In this condition, the disease does not increase eye pressure. Instead, IOP stays low. The doctors are still unclear about this condition. It needs further study. This condition can only be detected by an ophthalmologist.

The doctor will suggest appropriate treatment according to the disease condition.

Glaucoma Treatment Options –

As we study, is glaucoma hereditary? Here we learn how we can control the signs and symptoms of glaucoma. There are various methods we can use to manage glaucoma by consulting the ophthalmologist. I have mentioned the line of treatment that mainly followed.

Some potential treatments include:

• Eye Drop
• Oral medications
• Surgery

We will study all the treatments closely down below. Let’s first start with

Eyedrops –

The eye drop is the principal and most essential medicine for the eyes. As it directly works in the eyes. It improves to decrease the fluid by draining it out. Some eye drops contain different types of medicine, which include:

• Prostaglandins: These help to remove the fluid in the eye. It helps to reduce the pressure in the eyes. There are many medicines called latanoprost, travoprost, tafluprost, bimatoprost, latanoprostene.

• Beta Blockers: These decrease the production of fluid in the eyes. It helps to lower the pressure. The medicine included timolol and betaxolol. The possible side effects could be a slow heart rate, low blood pressure, and fatigue. However, it may resolve after some time.

• Alpha-adrenergic agonists: This helps reduce the fluid production in the eyes. The examples included in these medicines are apraclonidine and brimonidine. The possible side effects may be high blood pressure and fatigue if you feel any worsening in the condition. You should consult with your doctor.

• Rho kinase inhibitor: This helps to lower the pressure in the eyes by suppressing the rho kinase enzymes, which are responsible for m fluid. The medication is available in netrasudil and is recommended to use once daily.

• Miotic or cholinergic agent: The medications are Isopto Carpine, which helps to outflow the fluid from the eyes. The possible side effects are headacheeye ache, pupils, blurred vision, and nearsightedness.

There is some list of the surgeries which is performed to relieve the symptoms of glaucoma is given in the following:

• Laser Therapy
• Filtering Surgery
• Drainage Tubes
• Minimally invasive glaucoma surgery

All the procedures are performed under close supervision. Follow-ups and prevention are mandatory to relieve glaucomawhich causes blindness. You can also detect glaucoma at an early age to control the situation.

FAQs –

Outlook –

In this blog, we have studied whether glaucoma is hereditary. We concluded that the most common glaucoma is congenital. Therefore, If someone is affected by glaucoma, they should tell their siblings and be more cautious about their future offspring. We should not overlook the signs of glaucoma as it may cause blindness. That is why it is essential to visit an ophthalmologist. If you have any problem, you can contact the Credihealth team.