Eye Problems Run In My Family — What Should I Do?

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 20.5 million Americans have cataracts, 9.6 million have diabetic retinopathy, and 3 million have glaucoma. Eye problems are common, and if they run in your family, you may be at an increased risk of developing a given eye disease.

To examine how this works, let’s look at how genetics can affect eye disease, which conditions may be affected by it, and what can be done to avoid or prevent these illnesses. If you live in the Pelham Gardens area of the Bronx, New York, and you’re dealing with inherited eye conditions, the team of specialists at Bronx Eye Associates can help with a thorough eye exam.

How family history affects vision

Inherited traits are the genetics we receive from our parents. They affect how we look, the color of our eyes, how tall we grow, and in many cases, the illnesses we’re prone to deal with in life. 

Genetic inheritance plays a key role in traits relating to our visual health, and the variations or mutations of those genes can affect the chances of getting certain eye conditions in the future. A family history doesn’t mean you’ll become diabetic, get cancer, or deal with eye diseases, but it does increase the risk of it occurring.

Eye conditions affected by genes

Several of the eye problems you may have can be traced to genetic components in your family history, such as:

• Glaucoma: if you have a family history of glaucoma, your risk as you age is nine times higher than someone without a family history

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD): one in five people with this illness also has a parent or sibling that also struggles with it

• Cataracts: While environment and injuries are also risk factors, genetics is the largest risk factor for developing cataracts

• Diabetic retinopathy: as much as 25% of your risk factors for this complication of diabetes is down to inherited traits which can also affect how it progresses

• Distance vision issues: myopia and hyperopia are both illnesses that often run in families

Methods of prevention and treatment

The important thing to do if you have a family history of eye problems is to get regular eye exams, learn your risk factors, and protect your eyes as best as possible. 

Healthy lifestyles like making dietary and exercise changes can improve your overall health and keep your eyes healthy, protective eyewear can prevent damage to eyes in direct sunlight, and reducing eye strain from computer screens helps preserve vision.

We have a range of treatment options to help your vision whether the cause is inherited or not, and the methods will depend on your condition and its severity. If you have a family history of eye problems, make sure you get routine exams and make an appointment with our team at Bronx Eye Associates if you start experiencing changes in your vision.