Study finds glaucoma risk for Asian Americans

April 4, 2011

While there have been numerous studies on the risks of glaucoma in a number of races, very little is understood about Asian Americans' rate of being diagnosed with the vision disease.

A recent study funded by the National Eye Institute found that Asian Americans had a 6.5 percent chance of developing glaucoma within their lifetimes. The research, which was published in the journal Ophthalmology, observed the insurance records of more than 44,000 Asian American who were over the age of 40.

The researchers examined the race's chances of developing three different types of glaucoma, which include open-angle (OAG), narrow-angle (NAG) and normal-tension (NTG).

Through this study, the scientists were quick to point out specific things that should be looked at during an eye health examination in order to catch any developing conditions.

"For example, the inner eye angle anatomy of patients of Chinese or Vietnamese ancestry should be carefully examined," said lead researcher Dr. Joshua D. Stein. "And since NTG won't be detected by simply measuring intraocular pressure (IOP), eye doctors need to assess the status of the optic nerve in patients whose ethnicity makes them more susceptible to this type of glaucoma."