06/15/2026
Having a parent or sibling with glaucoma makes you 4 to 9 times more likely to develop it yourself. For age-related macular degeneration, the lifetime risk jumps to about 50 percent if you have a close relative with the disease. More than 350 eye conditions have a hereditary component, and most of them have no early symptoms.
Some families will talk about heart disease, cancer, and diabetes when they trade health histories. Eye conditions almost never come up.
It doesn't take much to ask "Has anyone in our family ever been treated for glaucoma, macular degeneration, or cataracts?"
A "yes" doesn't mean you'll get it. It means we should be watching more closely, earlier, and with the right tests. We have tests here that can spot the structural changes of glaucoma before they occur. If your family tree has eye disease in it, that head start matters a lot.
