Can your family’s medical history have an influence over your own eye health, or that of your children? Unfortunately, it is so.
There are several known eye-related medical problems that have strong genetic factors. If these are in your family’s history, you and the rest of your family are going to have a higher chances of seeing those same problems. Knowing your own medical lineage is important, because you can tell an optometrist what to look for.
Common Eye Health Disorders With A Genetic Basis
1 – Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
AMD is one of the most common causes of blindness in people as they age. The macula is a circular region at the center-back of your eyeballs, which contains the most dense collection of light-sensing rods and cones in your eye. The macula is necessary for all types of vision, day and night.
AMD is the slow and steady breakdown of this region, leading to reduced vision and eventually blindness. It currently cannot be halted or reversed, but it can be slowed significantly if caught early. It’s also very strongly influenced by genetic factors.
2 – Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the other major forms of adult blindness, and it’s also been definitively linked to several genetic markets. Glaucoma is caused by damage to the ocular nerve itself, coming out the back of the eyeball, usually due to increased vascular (blood) pressure.
Unlike AMD, Glaucoma is 100% treatable with medication.
3 – Strabismus (Ocular Misalignment)
Strabismus covers nearly any situation where two eyes are misaligned, or cannot move together. Roughly 40% of children who are “cross-eyed” or “wall-eyed” or have other misalignments are carrying genetic traits for this.
Strabismus is usually obvious from birth, and can be corrected in a number of ways during childhood.
4 – Other Indicators
Eye issues can also indicate non-ocular genetic conditions. For example:
- Yellow eyes indicate jaundice, or other serious liver disorders.
- Dislocated lenses can confirm Marfan syndrome.
- A bright red ‘blood’ spot in the eye is a telltale sign of Tay-Sachs.
- Retinopathy, a symptom of diabetes, involves blood vessels hemorrhaging into the eye.
Know Your History!
If you have never inquired into your family’s eye health history, now may be a good time. Knowing your genetic background makes it easier for your Phoenix Optometrist to spot vision problems in time for treatment.
