The short explanation
Yes, it is a very good idea. Glaucoma tends to run in families, and having a parent or sibling with glaucoma raises your own risk considerably. The most common type develops slowly and causes no pain and no symptoms at first. It gradually damages the optic nerve, often starting with side vision, which people do not notice until a lot has been lost. The vision lost from glaucoma cannot be brought back, but early treatment can slow or stop further damage. A glaucoma check includes measuring eye pressure, looking at the optic nerve, and sometimes a visual field test. Tell the eye doctor about your father's glaucoma, because this changes how often you should be checked.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Other risk factors include older age, high short sight, diabetes, long-term steroid use, and previous eye injury.
- Some types of glaucoma, especially angle-closure glaucoma, are more common in Asian populations and can sometimes cause sudden pain and redness.
- Other siblings and adult children of a person with glaucoma should also be checked.
- Many eye hospitals offer glaucoma screening at reasonable cost, and government eye departments can do it too.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you whether you have glaucoma or how often you need to be checked. An eye examination is needed.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is my eye pressure normal?
- Does my optic nerve look healthy?
- Do I need a visual field test?
- How often should I be checked, given my father's history?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to an emergency eye service if you get sudden severe eye pain with redness, blurred vision, haloes around lights, headache or vomiting.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a routine glaucoma check with an eye doctor and mention your family history.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Glaucoma NHS
- Get a dilated eye exam National Eye Institute (NIH)
- Eye diseases MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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