If you are of African ancestry, especially if you have a known family member with glaucoma, you are at risk for vision loss from this eye disease.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, which is the part of the eye that carries the images we see from the back of the eye to the brain. The optic nerve is made up of many nerve fibers (like an electric cable containing numerous wires).

Glaucoma damages nerve fibers, causing blind spots and loss of vision to develop. Glaucoma has to do with the pressure inside your eye, or intraocular pressure (IOP). When the clear liquid called the aqueous humor--which normally flows in and out of the eye--cannot drain properly, pressure builds up in your eye. The resulting increase in IOP can damage the optic nerve.

Primary open angle glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among people of African descent, occurring at a rate four times higher than among Caucasian patients. It also occurs about ten years earlier among people of African ancestry than among Caucasians, and develops more rapidly. Studies show that in the United States, people of African descent between the ages of 45-64 are approximately 15 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group.

It is not clear why people of African ancestry have higher rates of glaucoma and subsequent blindness than Caucasians. One factor may be that African-Americans are more susceptible to developing elevated eye pressure (IOP) earlier in life, which is thought to contribute to optic nerve damage and eventual vision loss. Another reason may be that patients of African descent are less likely than Caucasians to have early eye examinations that may detect and treat glaucoma.

The best way to protect yourself and your family members against vision loss from glaucoma is by being aware of the higher risk of developing this disease, and by having regular eye examinations for glaucoma at appropriate intervals.

If you are at risk for developing glaucoma, you can help to protect yourself from vision loss by having regular eye examinations for glaucoma at appropriate intervals. Recommended intervals for a comprehensive eye evaluation in people of African descent are:

- Age 20-29: every 3-5 years
- Age 30-64: every 2-4 years
- Age 65+: every 1 to 2 years

If you are diagnosed with glaucoma, please make sure you tell your family members and urge them to have an eye exam for glaucoma.

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