What Eye Conditions Are Genetic?

If there’s a history of certain eye diseases in your family, there’s a good chance you may develop them as you age. Myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness), two of the most common vision conditions, have strong genetic links. As such, if both your parents are near- or farsighted, there’s a strong chance you’ll need eyeglasses.

Local optician Downtown Eyes elaborates more on these genetic risk factors in this guide.

How Likely Are You to Develop Myopia or Hyperopia?

There’s a one in three chance that you will develop myopia if both your parents are nearsighted, a one in five chance if only one is nearsighted, and a one in 40 chance if none of your parents have the condition.

What Are the Other Vision Conditions That Have Strong Genetic Links?

Color vision deficiency (color blindness) and retinitis pigmentosa (a rare progressive decline of the retina) is less common than myopia and hyperopia, but they also have strong genetic links. The most common form of color blindness leaves people unable to distinguish the difference between red and green and blue and yellow. There’s also a form of color blindness that takes away the person’s ability to see color, but this is very rare.

Retinitis pigmentosa, on the other hand, is an inherited condition involving the loss of cells in the retina, the part of the eye that receives light from the lens and converts them into neural signals that are then sent to the brain for visual recognition. Thanks to several mutations within their genes, people with this genetic condition can’t produce the protein that’s needed by photoreceptors or the cells in the retina, resulting in night blindness and tunnel vision.

Why Early Detection Is Important For Children

If there’s a history of genetic eye conditions in your family, it’s important that you and your children routinely undergo a routine eye exam.  The earlier these conditions are detected, the better. This is especially true for kids, given how essential vision skills are to early childhood development. Remember: vision skills, such as focusing your eyes and using the information gathered from sight, don’t come naturally to children—these skills have to be learned through visual stimulation. As such, vision conditions can hamper their development.

How Often Should You See Your Eye Doctor?

How often do you need to see your optician? You’ll need to visit them and undergo an eye exam more often as you age. But in general, if you have kids aged six months to 20 years old, you should take them to your eye doctor every two years. And if they need eyeglasses, they’ll need to undergo an eye exam every six months or so to ensure their prescription hasn’t changed. Patients aged 20 to 39 years old should undergo a comprehensive eye exam every two to three years, those aged 40 to 54 (the age wherein effects of age-related vision conditions such as presbyopia become noticeable) every one to three years, patients aged 55 to 64 every one to two years, and those aged 65 and above every six to twelve months.

Eye Problems That Have Mixed Causes

Some eye conditions also have strong genetic risk factors, but these are just one of several risk factors. That’s why it’s essential that patients routinely see their eye doctor even though they have a low risk for developing certain conditions.

What are some of the common vision conditions that have genetics as one of their risk factors?

Glaucoma

Glaucoma refers to a group of eye conditions that can damage your optic nerve. There are three types of glaucoma:

• Open-angle glaucoma – This condition is caused by clogged drainage canals that increase eye pressure and potentially damage the optic nerve. Symptoms include blind spots in the peripheral (side) and central vision and tunnel vision.

• Angle-closure glaucoma – This type of glaucoma develops when the iris bulges and narrows or blocks the drainage angle and in the process cuts off circulation and increases eye pressure. Symptoms include blurry vision, severe headaches, eye pain, nausea, seeing halos around lights, and red eyes. If you experience any of these symptoms, see your optician as soon as possible.

• Normal-tension glaucoma – Damage to the optic nerve is usually caused by eye pressure. However, patients suffering from normal-tension glaucoma have damaged optic nerves even though their eye pressure is well within the normal pressure range of 12-22 mm Hg. The causes of this condition are still unknown.

Of the three, open-angle glaucoma is the most common; it’s estimated that the condition affects roughly three million Americans.

The Risk Factors: If there’s a history of glaucoma in your family, you are up to nine times more likely to develop it yourself. Aside from genetics, other risk factors include age (those aged over 60 are six times more likely to develop the condition), conditions that affect your blood flow (e.g., migraines, diabetes, low blood pressure, and hypertension), steroid use (some studies have observed a link between the use of steroids and glaucoma), and previous eye injuries (eye trauma can damage the drainage systems and increase your risk of developing secondary open-angle or traumatic glaucoma).

Important note: the progress of the symptoms of glaucoma is gradual, so they’re not that noticeable in the early stages of the condition. Optic nerve damage caused by and the loss of vision that accompanies glaucoma is irreversible, so it’s important that patients at high risk of developing glaucoma see their eye doctor and undergo an eye examination at least once every year.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that affects the sharp, central vision that’s needed to do activities such as reading and driving. As the name suggests, this condition affects the macula, the central part of the retina, and is common among older people (particularly those aged 50 and above). The condition won’t cause total blindness, but it can severely hamper your ability to do day-to-day activities.

Risk Factors: Aside from age, genetics and smoking are significant risk factors. You are 3-4 times more likely to develop AMD if there’s a family history.

Important note: Like glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration doesn’t usually produce symptoms in its early stages. As the condition progresses, patients with AMD will notice a blurry area near the center of their vision that will become bigger. If you have a family history of age-related macular degeneration, optometrists recommend undergoing a dilated eye examination every year.

Tips for Reducing Non-Genetic Risk Factors

Aside from routine eye examinations, there’s not much you can do about your genetic risk factors. That’s why it’s all the more important that you make the necessary lifestyle changes to minimize the other risk factors.

Here are some tips on maintaining your eye health:

• Moderate exercise – Moderate exercises, such as brisk walking or jogging, can lower intraocular pressure (IOP). However, it’s best to avoid doing headstands or shoulder stands during yoga, as, these can raise your IOP.
• Wear protective eyewear – Always protective eyewear whenever you’re playing baseball or high-speed racket sports, or doing home improvement projects, to prevent eye trauma.
• Eat a healthy diet – Eating a diet rich in nutrients essential to eye health, such as zinc, copper, selenium, and vitamins C, E, and A, can help prevent glaucoma from worsening. Eating fatty fish rich in omega-3 acids and controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
• Sleep with your head slightly raised – Sleeping with a wedge pillow that’s raised about 20 degrees can help lower IOP.
• Quit smoking – Quitting smoking reduces your risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by 2-3 times.

For more tips on maintaining your vision health, consult your local optician.