Blindness can be genetic, but it is not always inherited.

Some eye conditions that can cause severe vision loss or blindness are caused by gene changes passed through families, including:

However, many major causes of blindness are not primarily genetic. These include cataract, eye injury, infections, diabetic eye disease, and age-related macular degeneration. Genetic factors can still affect susceptibility to some of these conditions.

A family history raises the chance of an inherited eye disorder, but a gene variant does not always mean someone will develop blindness. Recent evidence suggests that many variants associated with inherited retinal disease have lower real-world certainty of causing disease than once assumed, as described by the National Eye Institute.

If blindness or progressive vision loss occurs in your family, an ophthalmologist and genetic counselor can assess the pattern and discuss genetic testing. Sudden vision loss needs urgent medical assessment.