Poor eyesight is neither a dominant nor recessive trait, but it does tend to run in families. According to Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, over 2 million people worldwide are suffering from gene-related retinal diseases, inherited or acquired, and over 270 genes have been identified which are found to be responsible for these conditions.1Genetic factors have been associated with key retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes complication that affects eyes, and age - related macular degenerationthat can blur your central vision and is caused due to aging.
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where the blood vessels of the retina are damaged.
The frequency and severity of DR among patients with diabetes is heterogeneous. There are diabetic patients that develop DR despite a short duration of diabetes and/or excellent glycemic control and other diabetic patients who do not develop DR in the face of long-standing diabetes and/or long-term hyperglycemia. Genetic variation may explain some of the remaining heterogeneity in DR development.
In India, over 73 million people are affected by diabetes, and the risk of developing DR in these patients due to genetic factors is up to 50% , as per studies.
According to Dr Ganesh Pillay, Medical director and consultant, ASG Eye hospital, Bhopal,"Genetics play a role in both Age-related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy. According to research, approximately 10% of all genetic disorders directly or indirectly affect the retina.
Routine annual screening is imperative to detect the disease as early as possible. Patients with a family history of diabetes should frequently exercise, consume low-carbohydrate foods, maintain a healthy body weight, and undergo routine diabetes screenings. Considering that women live 5 percent longer than males, they are more vulnerable to ARMD.
However, men have a higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy as compared to women. Therefore, it is critical to understand how genes and risk factors interact to affect the onset and course of ARMD and DR."