Where your DNA places you among other people, and the studies behind it.
Not tailored to your result, and not medical advice
Get Regular Comprehensive Eye Exams: Glaucoma usually has no early symptoms, and about half of those affected do not know they have it. A comprehensive dilated eye exam - measuring intraocular pressure and examining the optic nerve and visual field - is the only reliable way to detect it early, when IOP-lowering treatment is most effective at preserving sight. Higher-risk adults (over 60, African ancestry over 40, or a family history of glaucoma) should be checked every one to two years. National Eye Institute
Stay Physically Active: Aerobic exercise is associated with a short-term reduction in intraocular pressure, and regular moderate activity such as brisk walking is a reasonable part of overall eye and cardiovascular health. Evidence for a durable, long-term effect on glaucoma progression is still mixed, so exercise should complement - not replace - prescribed IOP-lowering treatment and routine eye exams. International Ophthalmology (systematic review)
How much of this is genetic?
Genetics explains 50% of why people differ in this trait. The rest is environment, daily habits and chance.
Heritability estimate: Trivli et al. 2020, Mol Med Rep
Background and further reading
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that progressively damage the optic nerve, usually linked to raised pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure, or IOP). It is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting an estimated 76 million people aged 40-80 in 2020, a figure projected to reach about 112 million by 2040 [1]. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form. Damage often begins at the edges of vision and progresses silently, so many people are unaware they have it until sight is already lost - which is why elevated IOP is not always present (normal-tension glaucoma occurs at statistically normal pressures).
Genetic Basis: Glaucoma runs strongly in families: first-degree relatives of someone with POAG carry several times the average risk, and family and twin studies put the heritability high - commonly cited estimates range from around 40% up to roughly 70% [4]. The genetic architecture is mostly polygenic. A large multi-ancestry meta-analysis identified 127 risk loci for open-angle glaucoma, of which 44 were new, with effects largely consistent across European, Asian and African populations [2]. A separate genome-wide study of intraocular pressure - the main heritable driver of glaucoma - found 101 independent signals and improved genetic risk prediction for POAG [3]. Well-established genes include MYOC, TMCO1, CDKN2B-AS1, SIX1/SIX6, and CAV1, which influence aqueous humor outflow, optic nerve head structure, and retinal ganglion cell survival [4]. Rare high-penetrance mutations, mainly in MYOC, account for only about 3-5% of cases [4].
Environmental Factors: Elevated IOP is the main modifiable risk factor and the only one current treatments target. Randomized trials show that lowering IOP - with eye drops, laser, or surgery - slows or prevents progression: in the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial each 1 mmHg of pressure reduction was associated with roughly a 10% lower risk of progression, and IOP-lowering also helps in normal-tension glaucoma [5]. Aerobic exercise can produce a temporary drop in IOP, though evidence for lasting benefit is mixed [6]. Age, African ancestry, high myopia, and family history are key non-modifiable risk factors. Because POAG is usually painless and symptomless until vision is lost, early detection through regular eye exams is the most important protective step.
The published research behind your score, and the variants it draws on.
10 published scores from 6 studies
The glaucoma score combines 10 polygenic scores drawn from 6 published studies.
These traits are influenced by some of the same genes and variants as this one
Cataract: Clouding of the eye's lens, the most common cause of reversible vision loss.
Content updated August 2026.
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