Your ophthalmologist considers different kinds of information to determine your risk for developing the disease. The most important risk factors include:
- Age
- Elevated intraocular pressure
- Family history of glaucoma
- African or Spanish ancestry
- Farsightedness (closed-angle) or nearsightedness (open–angle)
- Past eye injuries
- Thinner central corneal thickness
- Systemic health problems including diabetes, migraine headaches, and poor circulation
Your ophthalmologist will weigh all these factors before deciding whether you need treatment or monitoring as a glaucoma suspect, which means your risk of developing glaucoma is higher than normal, and you need to be followed closely to detect early signs of glaucoma.