Glaucoma - Who Is Affected and How Do You Know If You Have It?

Who is Affected by Glaucoma

Glaucoma affects between 3 and 4 million Americans today. While the elderly are at a higher risk for the eye disease than any other group, it is a common misconception that they are the only group affected. In the United States, about 1 out of every 10,000 babies is born with glaucoma, so the disease can be found in people of all ages. However, while all people over age 60 are in fact at a higher risk for developing glaucoma, African Americans are particularly prone to the disease. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African Americans, who are 6 to 8 times more likely to develop the disease than Caucasians. In fact, African Americans 45 to 65 years of age are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from the disease than Caucasians also diagnosed with glaucoma and in the same age group. Mexican Americans also become much more likely to develop glaucoma over the age of 60. In addition to these high-risk groups, people with a family history of glaucoma and people with diabetes are also at a very high risk for the disease.

Types of Glaucoma

One in two Americans with Glaucoma are unaware that they have the disease, and this is because they rarely experience other symptoms before experiencing vision loss. Glaucoma affects the pressure in your eye and causes it to increase to a point that can damage the optic nerve (see our post about The Eye and Refractive Errors to learn more about the optic nerve and how the eye works). The most common form of glaucoma is “open-angle glaucoma,” and it’s the kind that increases the pressure of the eye very slowly and painlessly over time, which is why most people do not know they have the disease until they have already lost some of their vision. 

The other kind of glaucoma is called “closed-angle glaucoma” and can cause patients to experience symptoms like severe eye pain and blurry vision quickly. However, closed-angle glaucoma only affects less than 10 percent of adults glaucoma patients. Those who experience the typical symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma would need immediate medical attention to avoid permanent vision loss. But how can vision loss be prevented when it could be caused by the sneakier yet more common form of the disease, open-angle glaucoma? 

Schedule an appointment with us at South Texas Eye Institute today to learn more about glaucoma and get the answer to the above question. Also, stay tuned for our next blog post about what you can do to prevent a loss in vision from the disease.