Although you might think you are too young to have glaucoma, you still may be at risk. Now is the time to find out. You can slow the progression of damage to your optic nerve if it has already started. Early detection and treatment are the only ways to prevent vision impairment and blindness from glaucoma.

Take the short quiz below to assess your risk and become more proactive about your eye health. If you answer “yes” to any one of these items, make sure you schedule a thorough eye exam with an eye specialist. Print out this quiz so you can discuss your potential risk for developing glaucoma with your eye specialist.

For general tips on optimizing conversations with your eye specialist — and to review a list of questions you can bring with you to ask your eye specialist — click here.

		Are you older than age 40?  Yes
		You are more likely to get glaucoma as you age.
		Do you have other medical conditions?  Yes
		Other health issues including marked nearsightedness and in some cases high blood pressure increase your risk for glaucoma.
		Do you have high eye pressure?  Yes
		This is the only risk factor you can change. Only your eye specialist can tell you if your eye pressure is high and damaging your optic nerve. This damage cannot be reversed. The good news is that studies show that lowering eye pressure may slow the risk of progression to glaucoma. High eye pressure can be easily treated.
		Do you have a family history of glaucoma?  Yes
		Like many other medical conditions, glaucoma tends to run in families. If someone in your immediate family like a parent or sibling has glaucoma, you are at increased risk. However, if one of your family members has it, you will not automatically develop it too.
		Are you of African descent?  Yes
		People of African descent have a 3–8 times higher risk than other people to develop open-angle glaucoma. Not only is this group at increased risk, but glaucoma is 15 times more likely to cause blindness in those of African descent between the ages of 45–64 than in Caucasians of the same age group.
		Are you of Asian descent?  Yes
		People of Asian descent have a greater risk than other people to develop angle-closure glaucoma. In addition to this, it is estimated that in 2010, Asians will represent 47% of those with glaucoma and 87% of those with angle-closure glaucoma.