All about Genetic Testing and How it Benefits Your Eye Health

The truth about your eye health can only be fully uncovered with the help of an eye doctor near you. For the most part, you can be leading a seemingly healthy life without knowing that you have an eye condition that requires treatment. It is part of the reason why eye doctors encourage regular eye exams, at least once annually. Besides, did you know that you may just be sharing similar eye problems in your family bloodline? While you may not be exhibiting similar symptoms as the rest of your family members, you likely share similar eye problems. It creates a need for genetic testing in ophthalmology, specifically to analyze inherited eye conditions in families.

What is Genetic Testing?

It is a medical exam that doctors perform to identify the varying components in a DNA sequence, i.e., changes in genes, proteins, or chromosomes. Genetic testing in Calgary is a general medical practice but has been done severally by eye doctors to benefit eye health. When an optometrist in Calgary recommends genetic testing, it is usually to evaluate your eye health for inherited eye diseases. Over the years, DNA sequence experts in medicine have been able to come up with over 500 variations of gene mutations that lead to inherited eye diseases.

What are Inherited Eye Diseases?

Ideally, many factors can cause eye problems, including injuries, environmental factors, poor lifestyles, to mention a few. Still, genetic ophthalmologists globally conclude that most eye conditions that patients present are inherited. A good example is the high number of childhood blindness occurring due to genetic factors like congenital glaucoma. The list of the most common vision problems that can be passed down genetically in families includes the following conditions:

1. Strabismus – also called ‘cross-eyed’
2. Myopia – also called nearsightedness
3. Hyperopia – also called farsightedness
4. Amblyopia – also called lazy eye
5. Astigmatism
6. Congenital glaucoma

Why Should You Get a Genetic Test for Your Eyes?

At face value, our eye doctors at Premier Eye Care – Seton may not correctly determine the eye problems you have. You would need to have some symptoms, and after a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor can come up with a prognosis. When it comes to determining whether or not your eye problems are inherited, it takes more than a comprehensive eye exam in a clinic, especially if your family members do not have any obvious signs of a similar eye problem. It makes up part of the reason why you need a genetic test. Besides that, over the years, genetic researchers and doctors in ophthalmology have found several benefits of genetic testing to patients, including the following:

1. For the sake of peace – finding out the possibility or risk factors for inherited eye diseases from your family members will give you peace of mind. It is especially the case if you have had lingering doubts about pre-existing eye conditions that may run in your family.
2. To get ahead of eye conditions early – the one similarity that cuts across all fields of medicine is that when a health problem is caught early, treatment is more effective and with higher success rates. When it comes to inherited eye problems, detecting them in the initial stages will give you and your optometrist near you a heads up in treating and possibly curing them.
3. For discovery – the truth is that many families go a long time without knowing about genetic diseases they carry in their bloodline. A genetic test will be necessary to discover and uncover any eye conditions that may be dormant in your family yet may have a likelihood of mutating and developing down the line in your generation.
4. As a preventive measure – proactivity is always encouraged in medicine. Whether or not you have an underlying eye condition, genetic testing should be your proactive step to keeping up with your eye health.
5. Participating in clinical trials – thanks to advancements in technology in the 21st century, clinical trials of new treatments have been availed, with some still in development. After your test, you can benefit from revolutionary clinical trials that may treat inherited eye problems.

Looking for genetic eye testing in Calgary, CA? You can book an appointment with Premier Eye Care – Seton for eye care services in Calgary.