Possible early indicator of glaucoma discovered

A new study in the journal Ophthalmology finds that specific changes in blood vessels in the retina of the eye can be an early indicator that a person may have an increased chance of developing glaucoma. Researchers discovered that patients with abnormally narrow retinal arteries are more likely to develop glaucoma in 10 years. This revelation could help ophthalmologists identify and treat patients who are at the greatest risk of vision loss due to glaucoma. The study involved almost 2,500 participants. What researchers found was that the risk of open-angle glaucoma was about four times higher in patients whose retinal arteries had been narrowest when the study began. Almost three million people in the United States are affected by open-angle glaucoma. Once glaucoma reaches the optic nerve, vision loss occurs. Early detection of the disease is vital because glaucoma does not have symptoms and most people do not realize they have it until a good portion of their vision is gone.*