Bill Harvey: Global economics

Socioeconomic status is a risk factor for eye disease.

The major causes of sight loss in the UK have a wide range of risk factors. An understanding of these should inform any adaptations to an eye examination you may need, for example using a full threshold fields program for someone with a family history of glaucoma, or perhaps using autofluorescence on a middle-aged heavy smoker.

The major risk factors (age, family history, ethnicity, refractive error) are considered non-modifiable – that is cannot be influenced by intervention (until, at least, progress is made with gene therapy or myopia management). Most conditions do have modifiable risk factors. Those that have a direct influence on disease likelihood and progression, such as intraocular pressure in glaucoma, may be influenced directly and help the prognosis.