This study investigated the self-reported family history of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) among 4,314 black participants in the Barbados Eye Study (BES), which was based on a random sample of Barbados-born citizens between 40 and 84 years of age. Data collection included Humphrey perimetry, fundus photography, various ophthalmic and other measurements and a comprehensive interview, including family history. Results showed that participants with OAG and previous OAG treatment reported more family history; maternal history was reported twice as often as paternal history. In persons without previous OAG treatment, those with newly diagnosed OAG reported more sibling history (Odds Ratio = 4.5). The Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology (S.A.G.E.) system was used to test the transmission models for OAG in a subset of 1,048 families (5,806 individuals) with the most complete self-reported family information. The S.A.G.E. results are consistent with the existence of a major dominant allele for OAG. These results should be viewed as promising, but preliminary, since they are based on self-reported data. More definitive information is currently being collected by the Barbados Family Study of Open-angle Glaucoma.