Share With Your Family This Holiday Season

The Holiday Season is a time of coming together. A time for families, often divided by hundreds or thousands of miles, to travel to one location and enjoy the company of those they may see only a few times a year. This presents a valuable opportunity to discuss your families medical history. Many may be unaware of the fact that some common eye diseases, such as glaucoma, are hereditary.

Hereditary eye diseases carry much more significance as they frequently target younger individuals, even children, creating a heavy burden on the whole family who may also be at risk. It is important to be aware of your families medical history, and take a proactive approach should there be any cause for concern.

Having a relative with a hereditary eye disease does not guarantee that it will affect other family members, but one should be very aware of the increased risk. A family history of hereditary glaucoma can increase the risk of development by four to nine times. This underscores the importance of an aggressive stance with regard to having regular routine eye exams as well as making your ophthalmologist aware of your families medical history.

Virginia Eye Consultants provides the latest in testing and diagnostic procedures. Our in-house glaucoma specialist, Dr. Constance Okeke, will provide you with a wealth of knowledge regarding hereditary eye diseases. She is an incredible asset to the VEC Team and may play a vital role in your family's ocular health. For more information regarding hereditary eye diseases, glaucoma or any of our ophthalmic services and procedures, please call (757) 622-2020 and visit www.virginiaeyeconsultants.com.