Common Genetic Eye Conditions & How to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

There are over 350 genetic eye diseases. Some examples include albinism, aniridia, color blindness, corneal dystrophies, glaucoma, keratoconus, Leber congenital amaurosis, night blindness, retinitis pigmentosa, and retinoblastoma are some of them.

An extensive list of essential genetic ocular diseases has been compiled by the University of Arizona College of medicine with patient information written in comprehending language. You can educate yourself by looking into each condition’s background and historical data and how you pass genes from one generation to the next, besides links to technical and medical information recourses over the Internet specific to each condition.

As a layperson, you might confront challenges sifting through the research to understand whether you are affected by any genetic disorder and might need help by undergoing genetic testing for eye disease to determine which condition affects your eyes.

The Most Common Genetic Eye Conditions

Perhaps the four most common genetic eye problems resulting in vision loss include:

1. Cataracts
2. Diabetes-related Retinopathy
3. Glaucoma
4. AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration

However, hundreds of other conditions of the eyes have also been recorded to make it challenging for you to determine which specific issue bothers you. In addition, eye diseases among children and adults differ, with children generally getting affected by amblyopia, strabismus, and conjunctivitis. Therefore you find it beneficial to visit our eye clinic in Calgary to determine the vision problems that might affect you.

In addition, evidence is now available to researchers that some of the most common vision problems among children and adults are determined genetically. The issues include strabismus, reflective errors like nearsightedness, astigmatism, and far-sightedness besides retinal degeneration and glaucoma.

Can You Inherit Eye Diseases?

Genetic factors play a crucial role in many eye diseases causing blindness in infants, children, and adults. Over 60 percent of blindness among infants is caused by genetic eye diseases, including congenital cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disinfection, optic atrophy, and eye malformation.

Sufficient evidence is also available to prove that conditions like strabismus, alternatively called ocular misalignment, have a genetic link. Approximately one-third of cases with strabismus have a family history. Glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration in adults are hereditary in many patients with this condition. Significant progress has been made by researchers to identify the genes responsible for retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative disease of the retina causing night blindness and vision loss gradually. Recently genetic eye testing has helped treat a variety of retinitis pigmentosa in early childhood.

How to Keep Your Eyes Optimal and Healthy?

If genetic eye testing near you helped treat a variety of retinitis pigmentosa from early childhood-onset, isn’t it evidence enough to determine there is much to do to keep your eyes optimal and healthy? Some recommendations made by ophthalmologists include:

• Visiting your eye care professional at scheduled intervals helps even if you don’t have any noticeable changes in your vision.
• Some eye conditions don’t have any warning signs making it essential for you to inquire your Eyecare professional how often you need evaluations.
• Understanding your risk factors for genetic eye diseases also helps because they include your age, family history of eye conditions, ethnic background, or other health issues such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
• If you make healthy lifestyle choices by keeping your body in optimal health, you reduce your risk of genetic eye diseases and vision problems.
• To achieve your goal, you must maintain yourself in optimal condition by getting exercise for 30 minutes per day, eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight, and quitting smoking if you do as an example of healthy options.
• Protecting your eyes is also crucial for eye protection against UVA and UVB light, even when the weather is cloudy. Therefore, you must wear appropriate eyewear even if you are involved in a sporting activity or working on a home or industrial project.
• If wearing contacts, please follow the instructions for wearing and cleaning them.
• Avoid spending extended periods before a computer or your cell phone to prevent eyestrain. Instead, give your eyes the rest they deserve focusing on distant objects for a minute after every 20.

Have Genetic Eye Testing Near You

When you have excellent vision, it helps you interact with the people around you. While some vision issues are straightforward to correct, others have no cure unless they are detected early and fixed in a timely fashion. Therefore if you notice vision changes, you can call or book an appointment with Premier Eye Care — Mahogany to get genetic testing for eye disease in Calgary!