Thanks Mom and Dad (How Genetics Impact Eye Health)

Our lifestyle choices can affect our eyes, but more times than not our eye problems are hereditary. The genes we inherit influence everything from what our eyes look like, to how well we see, to what ocular diseases we might contract.

Fortunately, we can prevent or delay genetic eye problems if we make healthy decisions and get routine eye care. Continue on for everything you need to know about genetics and your eye health.

**Genetics & Eye Appearance

**

Perhaps the most noticeable impact genetics have on your eyes is their appearance. Environmental factors can change the look of your eyes, but most people’s eyes look the way they do entirely because of the genes they inherited.

Eye Color

Your DNA decides the shade of your irises.

Most of the time you will have the same color of eyes as one or both of your parents. Some people will get a mix of their parents’ eyes or a different color entirely. This happens when your parents pass on a genetic mutation or a recessive gene.

In rare situations, irises can be a different color due to a disease or genetic problem.

At the end of the day, we have no control over the natural color of our eyes. It’s all in our DNA.

Eye Color and Risks

There are some risks inherent in certain eye colors. Lighter eyes, such as blue, hazel, and green, are more prone to sunburns and skin cancer of the eye. Brown eyes on the other hand, are tied to an increased risk of glaucoma.

Your eye color doesn’t guarantee any genetic diseases, but can be tied to them. If you have no other symptoms focus on preventive care and don’t let it worry you.

Eye Shape

The shape of your eyes is also heavily influenced by your inherited traits.

Many scientists believe eye shape and size have evolved in response to climate and environment. Even though you probably live in a different climate than your ancestors, your heritage impacts your eye shape more than anything.

Genetics & Refractive Errors

Many of the reasons someone needs glasses are inherited.

The most common genetic eye problems are classified as refractive errors. We often think of them as vision impairments.

Refractive errors are problems that make light refract incorrectly within the eye. Each issue causes light to refract in a different incorrect way.

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is the most common ocular disorder in the world. People with myopia have a hard time seeing things far away. They can see things up close with ease though.

Nearsightedness is commonly caused by a lengthening of your eye or cornea. It can be caused by a lens issue though. These problems lead to the retina being unable to focus on light correctly. This causes images far away to be blurry.

There are varying degrees of myopia. Some people will have slightly blurry vision when looking far away and others will be nearly blind when looking in the distance.

Prescription lenses of an appropriate strength help people with myopia see sharply from further away. Corrective eye surgery is a treatment option as well.

Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

Individuals with hyperopia have difficulty seeing close objects, but no problems seeing things far away.

Like Myopia, Hyperopia is also caused by the shape of the eye. Individuals with hyperopia have flat corneas, eyes that are too short, or lens issues.

As is the case with myopia, the retina has a hard time focusing on light correctly. The opposite ends up being the case, close objects are blurry instead of ones far away.

Farsightedness is treated with prescription lenses or corrective eye surgery.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is a refractive error that doesn’t happen until later in life. A combination of genetics and age causes this type of vision deterioration. The average age presbyopia starts is between 40 and 50. It will typically worsen until leveling out at 65.

People experiencing presbyopia have a hard time focusing on things up close. They have to move objects an arm’s length or so away to see them.

Presbyopia sounds similar to hyperopia, but it is slightly different. The main difference is that hyperopia is a lifelong condition for most people and hyperopia happens with age. Because of this, Presbyopia is much more common. In the United States nearly 90% of people over the age of 45 experience some degree of presbyopia.

Hyperopia also requires someone to focus harder to see up close whereas individuals with presbyopia just need to get their eyes to focus in general.

Presbyopia is treated with reading glasses or “cheaters” as you might hear your older friends and relatives call them.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is an eye disease caused by a mismatch in the curve of the lens or the cornea. It makes vision blurry up close and far away.

People with astigmatism can also have a hard time seeing at night.

Mild cases of astigmatism with no symptoms can be ignored. Astigmatism that causes blurry vision is treated with corrective lenses like other refractive errors.

Genetics & Eye Diseases

Genetics play a large role in eye diseases. Genetic variations are the leading cause of eye diseases not caused by accidents.

There are more than 350 genetic eye diseases. Many are rare, but some are seen as frequently as 10 percent of the time in adults.

The big four eye diseases are age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. These are called the big four because they are the most common eye diseases in adults.

Other eye diseases, such as amblyopia, strabismus, and color blindness are common but appear earlier in life than the big four.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration impacts as much as 12% of the over-40 population in the United States. It is a common condition that is genetic, but also brought on by age.

AMD is the deterioration of the macula in the retina. This will cause blurry vision and can lead to blindness.

There are two types of AMD: Dry AMD and Wet AMD.

Dry AMD

Dry AMD is the most common type of macular degeneration. Dry AMD is a slow deterioration of retina cells. In most cases, people with Dry AMD will not become blind, though it is a possibility.

Dry AMD can’t be cured, but glasses, a healthy diet and lifestyle, and supplements can help your vision. These treatments can also slow the progress of the disease.

Wet AMD

Wet AMD is more serious and rare than its counterpart. Wet AMD is a rapid deterioration of the macula that can lead to total central vision blindness.

Dry AMD can advance to Wet AMD if it isn’t monitored or treated. This happens in about 10% of Dry AMD cases.

Eye injections or light treatment can be used to slow wet AMD deterioration.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease that happens when your optic nerve has been damaged. This damage is usually caused by a build-up of eye fluid that increases the pressure inside the eye.

There are multiple types of glaucoma, but they all can lead to vision loss or blindness.

Glaucoma can’t be cured, but it can be treated. Surgery, medication, or eye drops can help relieve pressure in the eye and stop additional optic nerve damage.

Cataracts

Cataracts are another common eye condition caused by age and genetic predisposition. More than half of Americans over the age of 80 have had a cataract.

In rare cases, cataracts can be congenital and present at birth.

No matter your age, all cataracts are a lens issue. Proteins and fibers in your lens start to break down, creating a cloudy cover that blurs vision.

Cataracts can be treated with an outpatient surgery. A new, clear lens is placed in your eye. This procedure is typically low risk and high reward.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy is rare, but also the leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States.

It is unique because you have to have another disease first–diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by blood vessel damage in the eye. This can be caused by poorly regulated blood sugar.

Diabetic retinopathy can’t be cured, but surgery can help treat the symptoms.

Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

A disconnect in the communication between the brain and one or both eyes causes amblyopia. Because the brain and affected eye don’t have working nerve pathways, the stronger eye does most of the seeing.

The “lazy eye” is the eye that doesn’t talk to the brain. It tends to wander and doesn’t work in tandem with the other eye.

Lazy eyes are most common in young children. They aren’t seen as often in adults because they are treatable. It is common for amblyopia to be resolved in childhood with eye patches, corrective glasses, eye drops, or surgery. These methods often ensure no problems into adulthood.

Strabismus (Crossed Eyes)

Strabismus is commonly referred to as crossed eyes. Individuals with crossed eyes usually have one eye with a neurological or muscular deficiency that makes the eyes look in different directions.

Like Ambylopia, strabismus is most common in childhood because treatment typically resolves the problem.

Eye patches, surgery, or special corrective lenses can strengthen the eye muscles or fix the nerve injury that caused the strabismus.

Color Blindness

Genetics cause the vast majority of color blindness. Infrequently, an injury or accident can lead to the loss of some or all color vision.

Color blindness happens when there is a problem with your eye’s rods and/or cones. They will transmit incorrect signals to your brain that result in your brain telling you you see a color, shade, or hue that you actually don’t.

Multiple types of color blindness impact what colors you see incorrectly. The rarest type of color blindness is total color blindness. Most people who are color blind can see all but a few colors correctly.

Men are impacted by color blindness far more often than women. This is due to genetics! The genes for color blindness are X-linked and recessive so they are much more likely to appear in a man than a woman.

Unfortunately, there is no current treatment for color blindness. Many with the condition come up with tactics and tricks to help them live day to day with very few issues.

Maintaining Good Eye Health

Just because you have a genetic predisposition to an eye disease or vision problem doesn’t mean one will develop. You might get lucky and never have an issue. You can increase that luck by maintaining good eye health practices.

Prevention

You can prevent an eye condition from developing with genetic testing, a healthy lifestyle, and routine eye exams. Preventative measures can also slow the progress of an eye disease or error if one has already started.

Genetic Testing

Your family medical history can give you insight into what you might be susceptible to developing. Whether you know of eye diseases in your family or not, genetic testing will let you know what predispositions you inherited.

Once you have your genetic test results you can discuss specific preventative measures with your eye doctor.

Diet and Lifestyle

Eye diseases are like other diseases in our bodies–our diet and lifestyle can be hugely beneficial in preventing them.

A healthy diet, exercise, and no smoking decrease the chances of genetic and non-genetic eye diseases. This is because many eye diseases are secondary symptoms of other diseases or problems that are impacted by our diet and lifestyle.

High blood pressure, diabetes, and liver disease are all linked to eye diseases and are more common in people who don’t have a healthy lifestyle.

Sun Protection

Some eye diseases are caused or exacerbated by outside influences. The sun and harsh elements can damage our eyes and cause other eye-related problems.

Sunglasses, visors, and hats are all good ways to protect your eyes when you’re outside. Even if the sky is overcast you can still get eye damage from UV rays. When in doubt, cover your eyes.

Healthy Screen Time Practices

Screen time is inevitable for most people. Our jobs, hobbies, and communication rely on them.

Frequent screen time can hurt our eyes and quicken the development of vision impairments and eye diseases.

Practice good screen hygiene to decrease the risks:

• Decrease screen time (especially in children)
• Take breaks when possible
• Practice the 20-20-20 Rule: Stare 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds every 20 minutes while you’re focusing on a screen
• Spend time outside when you’re off your screen
• Don’t sit too closely to a screen

If you feel a headache, eye strain, or other discomfort when using screens, take a break and schedule an appointment with an eye doctor to discuss possible solutions.

Early and Frequent Testing

Routine eye exams are important whether or not you are genetically predisposed to certain eye diseases or vision impairments. A standard eye exam will check for vision problems and common eye diseases. Getting a checkup every year will ensure things are caught quickly.

Even if you believe your eye health is optimal it is important to get your eyes examined. Your eye health can change multiple times in your life. Have an eye exam annually to prevent or lessen eye conditions.

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