Do older patients have higher or lower immediate risk for glaucoma?

• A. Unknown
• B. Higher
• C. Lower
• D. Same

Answer: (B)

Age is a major factor that increases the chance glaucoma is present. As people get older, the prevalence of primary open-angle glaucoma rises across populations because cumulative exposure to risk factors and age-related changes in the optic nerve and drainage system (the trabecular meshwork) make glaucomatous damage more likely. So, at any given moment, an older patient is more likely to have glaucoma or be on the verge of detectable disease than a younger person, meaning the immediate risk is higher in older adults. The other options don’t fit because data show increasing prevalence with age, not unknown status, not a lower risk, and not the same risk across ages.