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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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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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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