Can Glaucoma Be Inherited?

Aug. 24, 2009— -- Question: Can glaucoma be inherited?

Answer: If you have somebody in your family with glaucoma, there's a higher chance that you also may have glaucoma. So a mother, a father, a sister and a brother would be perhaps a higher risk of having glaucoma, whereas a grandparent might be further away. But I think the important thing is to really remember that if there's a family history, you go in and you get your eyes examined, and then we can tell whether or not you need drops, or you just need to be followed, or whether you might need surgery.