Genetic researchers like Dr. Craig Venter are our best hope to identify and in some way alter defective genes that lead to eye diseases. Armed with this information, young adults could know early on that they are at high risk for glaucoma or other vision-threatening conditions and take action to avoid the devastation that begins in old age. A diagnosis of sleep apnea, a condition in which sleep is interrupted because air does not flow into or out of the nose or mouth, may also put one at risk for developing glaucoma. In fact, Harvard researchers say that about half of all normal-tension glaucoma patients and one third of all primary open-angle glaucoma patients suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. Investigators continue to study the connection. In the meantime, people with sleep apnea need to have their optic discs checked regularly even if their ocular pressure is normal. Normal-tension and low-tension glaucoma can be overlooked during a routine glaucoma screening procedure.
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