Health
All eyes are on glaucoma, the ‘silent thief of sight’ — and the truth behind 7 myths
To kick off Glaucoma Awareness Month in January, experts are setting the record straight on some common myths about what the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) calls the “silent thief of sight.”
Approximately three million Americans have glaucoma.
Yet only half of them are aware they have the potentially blinding disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Here’s the truth behind some common myths, according to glaucoma experts.
Myth No. 1: People can tell when they’re developing glaucoma
Glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages, the AAO shared with Fox News Digital in a statement.
The disorder, which is caused by a group of ocular conditions that damage the optic nerve, is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, per the CDC.
Approximately three million Americans have glaucoma, but only half of them are aware that they have the potentially blinding disease. (iStock)
“The optic nerve is made of more than a million tiny nerve fibers,” the AAO stated.
“It is like an electric cable made up of many small wires.”
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When the nerve fibers die, blind spots develop — but it’s often not until later in the course of the disease that patients develop symptoms.
When all the nerve fibers die, the patient loses his or her vision to glaucoma — and is not able to see again.
Myth No. 2: Young people can’t get glaucoma
Anyone can get glaucoma, but the disease’s prevalence increases with age.
“Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old,” the AAO noted.
African Americans are not only six times more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasian Americans, but they are also more likely to develop the disease earlier in life, according to the CDC. (iStock)
Even babies can get glaucoma, with an estimated one in 10,000 infants born with the condition, according to The Glaucoma Foundation’s website.
Myth No. 3: People can’t get glaucoma if there is no family history
If someone in the family has had glaucoma, everyone else, including children, should be tested for the eye disease, The Glaucoma Foundation advises.
Approximately 90% of blindness due to glaucoma could be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and prompt treatment.
But people without a family history are still at risk for the disease.
Some of the highest-risk groups include those who: are age 40 or older; have had a previous eye injury; are farsighted or nearsighted; have used steroids long-term; or have diabetes, migraines or high blood pressure, the AAO added.
Myth No. 4: Ethnicity is not a risk factor
African Americans are not only six times more likely to get glaucoma than Caucasian Americans, but they are also more likely to develop the disease earlier in life, according to the CDC.
Caused by a group of ocular conditions that damage the optic nerve, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. (iStock)
Asian Americans are also at high risk for developing glaucoma.
And recent research has found that the condition is much more common in Hispanics than previously thought.
Myth No. 5: Glaucoma always means having increased pressure in the eye
There are many types of glaucoma, but the one thing they all have in common is damage to the optic nerve.
Not all of them necessarily involve elevated eye pressure, otherwise known as intraocular eye pressure (IOP), although many of them do.
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The eye constantly makes aqueous humor (clear, water-like fluid), and as new aqueous flows in, the same amount should drain out, the AAO noted.
“In a healthy eye, fluid leaves the eye through the drainage angle, keeping pressure stable,” the academy said in a statement.
“But if the drainage angle is not working properly, fluid builds up.”
The eye constantly makes aqueous humor (clear, water-like fluid), so as new aqueous flows in, the same amount should drain out, the AAO noted. (iStock)
When the pressure becomes too intense, the sensitive organ gives at its weakest point where the optic nerve leaves the eye, according to The Glaucoma Foundation.
While most types of glaucoma create increased pressure due to the backup of fluid, not all cases are associated with IOP.
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“Glaucoma specialists believe that some forms of glaucoma are strongly related to vascular changes and impaired ‘nutrition’ (poor blood flow) to the optic nerve,” The Glaucoma Foundation noted in a statement.
Myth No. 6: Only people with high blood pressure can have elevated eye pressure
People with high blood pressure do not necessarily have elevated eye pressures — and there are people with elevated eye pressures who do not have high blood pressure, experts say.
Those who do have elevated eye pressures should be monitored to make sure they don’t develop glaucoma.
People with elevated eye pressures may have no signs of eye damage, the AAO noted.
Getting regular eye exams can help your ophthalmologist detect the beginnings of the disease before vision loss occurs, the AAO noted. (iStock)
“These patients are considered ‘glaucoma suspects’ and have a higher risk of eventually developing glaucoma,” the academy said.
“Controlling blood pressure does not mean IOP is controlled,” The Glaucoma Foundation added.
Myth No. 7: If you have glaucoma, you will become blind
Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. Approximately 90% of blindness due to glaucoma could be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and prompt treatment, per The Glaucoma Foundation.
The condition can often be controlled with eyedrop medication.
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“When you use drops for glaucoma, these are often meant to be lifelong eye medications,” Nishika Reddy, M.D., assistant professor of ophthalmology at Moran Eye Center’s Midvalley Health Center at The University of Utah, told Fox News Digital.
“While you will not notice a change in your vision while using the drops, trust that they are working to prevent this disease from progressing,” she also said.
Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
Reddy emphasized the importance of telling your eye doctor about any medications you’re .c.urrently taking — especially steroids, asthma medications or allergy medications, as these can affect eye pressure.
Advancements toward a cure
Promising new research from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Mass Eye and Ear at Mass General Brigham has highlighted the potential of restoring vision in the future after someone with glaucoma develops blindness.
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In a recent study published in the journal PNAS, a team of researchers transformed stem cells from the blood into specialized eye cells in mice that were capable of traveling and surviving in the retina after they were transplanted, according to a press release.
The condition can often be controlled with eyedrop medication, which is typically taken for a lifetime. (iStock)
“We realized that the adult and diseased eye is not the most hospitable environment for the transplant, and our multidisciplinary team figured out the way to fertilize the host retina to support and guide donor cells into the right place,” senior author Petr Baranov, M.D., PhD, of Mass Eye and Ear — also an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School — told Fox News Digital.
While more than three million people currently have glaucoma in the U.S., that number is expected to grow to 4.2 million by 2030, according to the National Eye Institute.
Getting regular eye exams can help your ophthalmologist detect the beginnings of the disease before vision loss occurs, the AAO noted.
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Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. New research shows one group getting hit the hardest – those without a college degree.
A recent study from the American Cancer Society analyzed data from over 101,000 adults aged 25 to 49 who died from colorectal cancer between 1994 and 2023.
While death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without a bachelor’s degree, the findings showed.
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For young adults with a high school education or less, the mortality rate rose from 4.0 to 5.2 per 100,000 people, while the rate for those with at least a bachelor’s degree stayed flat, at approximately 2.7 per 100,000.
This does not mean that a degree offers some kind of biological protection, researchers cautioned.
Colorectal cancer, once considered a disease of older age, is becoming a crisis for younger adults. (iStock)
The difference is likely driven by the conditions in which people live and work, which often correlate with education levels, the researchers noted.
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The study suggests that the higher death rates are likely driven by differences in the prevalence of risk factors, including obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and diet, which are “known to be elevated among children and young adults with lower [socioeconomic status].”
Because the study relied on death certificates, researchers couldn’t say exactly why college graduates had better outcomes.
Because the researchers didn’t have the patients’ actual medical records, they couldn’t see things like frequency of screenings or treatment options, which would impact survival outcomes. (iStock)
Certificates typically list the cause of death, age, race and education level, but they do not include a person’s full medical history.
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Because the researchers didn’t have the patients’ actual medical records, they couldn’t see things like frequency of screenings or treatment options, which would impact survival outcomes.
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Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second leading cause for women in the same age group, according to recent statistics.
While colorectal cancer death rates remained stable for college graduates, they climbed significantly for those without a bachelor’s degree, the findings showed. (iStock)
Because the disease is highly treatable when caught early, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) lowered the recommended screening age from 50 to 45 in 2021.
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Common signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer can include a change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days, according to the American Cancer Society.
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Other signs that warrant seeing a doctor include blood in the stool or a persistent feeling of needing to go to the bathroom but being unable to go.
The research was published in JAMA Oncology.
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A young woman who started vaping at the age of 15 has been given just 18 months to live — after being diagnosed with lung cancer in her early 20s.
Kayley Boda, 22, of Manchester, in the United Kingdom, was engaging in heavy vaping on a regular basis when she started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in it in January 2025, news agency SWNS reported.
The retail assistant said doctors turned her away eight times, telling her she had a chest infection — until she began coughing up blood.
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After seven biopsies, Boda was diagnosed with lung cancer. She underwent surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy — and in February 2026, got the all-clear, the same source reported.
Two months later, though, doctors said the cancer had come back in the pleural lining. Now she’s been given 18 months to live.
Kayley Boda, 22, is shown in the hospital. She started coughing up a brown substance with “grainy bits” in January 2025, she said. She had been vaping since the age of 15. (SWNS)
The young woman has now issued a warning to others to be aware of the dangers of vaping.
Boda said she smoked a bit as a young teenager. She took up vaping after that.
Then, “a few months after I switched from reusable vapes to disposable ones, I started coughing up brown, grainy mucus,” as SWNS reported.
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“Doctors turned me away eight times with a chest infection. … Then I started coughing up blood, so they did an X-ray and found a shadow on my lung,” she added.
“They told me they were 99% sure, [since I was] so young, that it wasn’t cancer, so not to worry about it. When I got the results back, and they told me it was lung cancer, it felt so surreal.”
Boda said she was “very naive” before her diagnosis and thought that “something like this would never happen to me.”
She said that she had surgery to remove half of her right lung.
“After the surgery, I started chemo and I had a terrible reaction to it. I couldn’t lift my head up. I was throwing up blood. I was urinating blood. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep.”
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She said that when she got the “all clear [in Feb. 2026], it felt amazing, but just two months later I was told the cancer had come back, and I have 18 months to live.”
She added, “I’m 22. This isn’t meant to happen to somebody my age.”
“Stay off the vapes because they will catch up with you.”
She blames her cancer on vaping, she said.
“My symptoms started a few months after I started disposable vapes, and there’s no lung cancer in my family,” she said. “I haven’t vaped for three months, I’ve made my partner stop, I’ve made my mom stop, I’m urging all my friends to stop. Stay off the vapes,” she continued, “because they will catch up with you.”
When doctors did an X-ray, they found a shadow on Boda’s right lung. She was later diagnosed with lung cancer and has undergone surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
She said she’d been using reusable vapes since the age of 15 and began using disposable vapes a few months before her cancer symptoms started.
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In November 2024, when she developed a rash all over her body, doctors said it could have been due to shingles, chicken pox or scabies, she told SWNS.
‘Nothing worked’
“I got treated for all three, and nothing worked,” Boda said. “It got to the point where I was cutting myself from scratching so hard.”
A few months after that, she began coughing up a dark brown mucus, with “grainy bits, the consistency of sugar, in it,” she said. When the coughing continued, she visited the doctor’s office, but was told it could be scarring from pneumonia or a chest infection, she also said.
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It wasn’t until March 2025 that she began coughing up bright red blood. At that point, doctors gave her a chest X-ray and told her they’d found a shadow on her lower right lung.
Over the next four months, she had seven biopsies as doctors took samples from the “shadow.” In August, when she went to get the results, she was told she had stage one lung cancer.
Boda is shown in the hospital. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, as well as chemotherapy. (SWNS)
In September 2025, she had surgery to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, and the surrounding lymph nodes. During the surgery, doctors upstaged her cancer from stage one to stage three after finding cancer in six surrounding lymph nodes, she said.
Following the surgery, Boda was unable to breathe properly and had to learn to walk all over again.
“The oncologist said this is so rare.”
After finishing chemotherapy in February 2026, Kayley was given the all clear, leaving her feeling elated.
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However, just a month after that, she began experiencing extreme chest pains and was told by doctors she had a pleural effusion — a build-up of fluid in the lungs. She had the fluid removed, but when doctors tested it, they discovered her cancer had returned to the pleural lining of her lungs, giving her 18 months to live.
“The oncologist said this is so rare, and usually something they see in patients that are 80 years old,” she said, as SWNS reported.
Increasingly, vacation hot spots are enforcing strict bans on the use of e-cigarettes in public venues. (iStock)
Boda claimed that doctors were unable to pin her cancer to a specific cause — but told her that smoking and vaping definitely didn’t help.
Since her diagnosis, she has stopped and is urging others to stop, too.
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She’s hoping to raise the thousands of dollars needed for treatment to try to prolong her life, she said.
Last year, Fox News Digital reported on the case of a Pennsylvania woman, 26, who said she vaped for just one year before her lungs collapsed. She was 22 when she took up the habit, she said in an interview.
“Everybody warned me about it, but I didn’t listen — I wish that I did,” she said.
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Dr. David Campbell, clinical director and program director at Recover Together Bend in Oregon, told Fox News Digital at that time that signs of collapsed lungs include sharp chest or shoulder pain, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
Lung issues are just one of the many health issues linked to vaping, he warned. The habit can also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, as well as exposure to harmful heavy metals.
Melissa Rudy of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.
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The key to feeling better in a fast, overstimulated world might be surprisingly simple: Live a little more like your grandparents.
A growing social media trend, dubbed “nonnamaxxing,” draws inspiration from the slower, more intentional rhythms associated with an Italian grandmother.
The lifestyle is often linked to activities like preparing home-cooked meals, spending time outdoors and making meaningful connections.
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“Nonnamaxxing is a 2026 trend that embraces the slower, more intentional lifestyle of an Italian grandmother (a Nonna). Think cooking from scratch, long family meals, daily walks, gardening and less screen time,” Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, told Fox News Digital.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
Stepping away from screens and toward real-world interaction can have measurable benefits, according to California-based psychotherapist Laurie Singer.
“We know that interacting with others in person, rather than spending time on screens, significantly improves mental health,” she told Fox News Digital, adding that social media often fuels comparison and lowers self-esteem.
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Living more like previous generations isn’t purely driven by nostalgia. Cooking meals from scratch, for example, has been linked to better nutrition and more mindful eating patterns.
Adopting traditional mealtime habits can improve diet quality and support both physical and mental health, especially when meals are shared regularly with others, Palinski-Wade noted.
One longevity expert stresses that staying healthy isn’t just about food — it’s also about joy and community. (iStock)
There’s also a psychological benefit to slowing down and focusing on one task at a time. Anxiety often stems from unfinished or avoided tasks, Singer noted, and engaging in hands-on activities can counteract that.
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“Nonnamaxxing encourages us to be present around a task, like gardening, baking or knitting, or just taking a mindful walk, that delivers something ‘real,’” she said.
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Palinski-Wade cautions against turning the trend into another source of pressure, noting that a traditional “nonna” lifestyle often assumes a different pace of life.
The key, she said, is adapting the mindset, not replicating it perfectly.
Nonnamaxxing, derived from the name for an Italian grandmother, is a trend that incorporates lifestyle habits hundreds of years in the making. (iStock)
The goal is to reintroduce small, intentional moments that make you feel better.
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That might mean prioritizing a few shared meals each week, taking a walk without your phone or setting aside time for a simple hobby, the expert recommended.
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Singer added, “Having a positive place to escape to, through whatever activities speak to us and make us happy, isn’t generational – it’s human.”
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