Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and there are no symptoms in the early stages. Besides having a high pressure and a family member with the disease, race and age are two big risk factors. When I was in optometry school from 1977-1981, we were always taught that blacks had the highest prevalence of glaucoma. Please refer to the below graph taken from the 2020 American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Patterns for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma. In 2025 we are living longer, and in the older age groups Hispanics now have the highest prevalence. At age eighty 15 % of Hispanics have glaucoma compared to 13 % of blacks and 6 % of whites. At age ninety 30% of Hispanics and 18 % of blacks have glaucoma. So, if you are being followed for glaucoma and you have not been diagnosed with glaucoma (glaucoma suspect), please continue your follow-ups because the older you get the more likely you are to get the disease, which if treated early, blindness can usually be prevented.
