Key Takeaways
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August is National Eye Exam Month, a yearly nudge to finally book the appointment you may have been meaning to schedule since spring. It’s tempting to treat that visit as a quick read of the eye chart and potentially a refreshed glasses prescription, but a comprehensive eye exam looks much deeper into the eye, and what a doctor finds there can say something about your broader health, and sometimes about your genes.
What Your Eye Doctor Is Really Looking For
An estimated 11 million Americans over age 12 need some form of vision correction. During a comprehensive exam, an eye doctor isn’t only checking how well you see, they’re also looking for early signs of conditions like cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, ideally before those conditions cause any noticeable vision loss.
The Genetics Behind Eye Conditions
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, damages the macula, the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision. It’s estimated that more than 10 million people in the U.S. have some form of AMD. AMD risk is associated with variants in many genes, most notably CFH and ARMS2. Other factors like age, smoking and family history can also influence risk. 23andMe has an Age-Related Macular Degeneration Genetic Health Risk report* that can tell you whether you may have an increased risk of developing AMD based on your genetics.
Glaucoma develops when the optic nerve, which carries visual signals from the eye to the brain, becomes damaged, often due to high pressure inside the eye. Vision loss from glaucoma can be so gradual that many people don’t notice it until it’s advanced, which is part of why regular screening matters. Many different genetic variants impact the likelihood of developing glaucoma, 23andMe’s Glaucoma PRS Report** uses more than 8,000 genetic markers to estimate a person’s likelihood. Other factors like age, family history and other health conditions can also influence your chances.
Diabetic retinopathy, damage to the blood vessels in the retina caused by prolonged high blood sugar, is a leading cause of blindness in American adults and develops as a complication of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, and many people with diabetes or prediabetes don’t know they have it. Because diabetic retinopathy follows from diabetes, an eye exam can sometimes be the first place these changes are caught. Thousands of genetic variants can contribute to your likelihood of type 2 diabetes along with other factors like diet, weight and lifestyle. For those curious about their genetics say, 23andMe offers a Type 2 Diabetes report**.
Nearsightedness, or myopia, is probably what you think of when you think of an eye exam. It affects an estimated 45 percent of U.S. adults and typically develops in childhood, when the eye grows just slightly too long for light to focus correctly on the retina. 23andMe’s Nearsightedness PRS Report** considers more than 2,700 genetic markers when estimating a person’s likelihood of being nearsighted, but other environmental factors like limited time spent outdoors during childhood can also contribute to your chances.
Migraines might seem like an outlier on this list, but they belong here too. Some people experience aura symptoms, which can include temporary visual disturbances, including flashes of light and blind spots, when they experience a migraine. A comprehensive eye exam is a useful way to rule out an underlying eye problem that could be contributing to head pain. The cause of migraines is still a mystery, but genetics, along with a family history of the condition, can increase likelihood of developing it. You can learn more about your genetics connected to migraines, with the 23andMe Migraine PRS report**.
What You Can Do This Eye Exam Month
- Book a comprehensive exam. Even if your vision feels fine, a dilated eye exam can catch changes to the retina and optic nerve well before you’d notice symptoms.
- Know your family history. Glaucoma, AMD, migraine and diabetes all run in families, and sharing that history with your doctor helps them recommend the right screening schedule.
- Ask about blood sugar and blood pressure. Since diabetic retinopathy and some AMD risk factors connect back to broader metabolic health, managing these numbers can support your eyes as well as the rest of your body.
- Don’t ignore new visual symptoms. Experts agree sudden blind spots, flashes of light or eye pain warrant a prompt visit rather than a wait and see approach.
- And if you have kids, encourage outdoor time for them. More time spent outdoors during childhood is linked to a lower likelihood of developing nearsightedness.
Curious what your own DNA suggests about your likelihood of developing AMD, glaucoma, nearsightedness or migraine? A 23andMe Premium Ancestry + Health membership unlocks these reports and many more, giving you one more part of the picture to bring to your next eye appointment.
* The 23andMe PGS test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks. It is not intended to diagnose any disease. Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. Each genetic health risk report describes if a person has variants associated with a higher risk of developing a disease, but does not describe a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. The test is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatment. The Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) genetic health risk report is indicated for reporting of the Y402H variant in the CFH gene, and the A69S in the ARMS2 gene and describes if a person has variants associated with an increased risk of developing AMD. The variants included in this report are common in many ethnicities, but are best studied in people of European descent.
** The 23andMe PRS reports are based on a genetic model that includes data and insights from 23andMe consented research and incorporate thousands of genetic variants to describe if a person has a certain likelihood of developing a condition, but does not describe a person’s overall likelihood. The PRS reports do not account for lifestyle or family history and have not been reviewed by the US Food and Drug Administration. The PRS reports are not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions or determine any treatment.
