Age was the most important risk factor so that the proportion of people with glaucoma increased dramatically in older age groups. This meant that glaucoma was present in only 4 per thousand people aged in their fifties, and rose to 114 per thousand people over 80. The second most important risk factor was raised pressure in either eye. People who were short sighted or had diabetes had double the risk of glaucoma, while people with high blood pressure had 1.5 times the risk of people with normal blood pressure. These opacities block clear sight and make people more sensitive to glare.
Cataract surgery is now the most common operation performed in Australia.
It is also one of the most successful, restoring quality of life to many people whose sight has failed. Modern cataract surgery is usually done as a day only operation, under local anaesthetic. A plastic lens is inserted in place of the cataract, which is removed. Three patterns of cataract were identified, and these were found to have different causes or risk factors. One type, involving the outer shell of the lens, was more frequent in women.