Frequency of primary open angle glaucoma in Abbasi Shaheed Hospital

Objective: To determine the frequency of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma in different age groups. Early diagnosis of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma can prevent irreversible damage to vision. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi from 2005 to 2006. A total of 149 glaucoma patients between the age groups of 30 to 70 years were included. Primary Open Angle Glaucoma was diagnosed on the basis of glaucomatous optic nerve damage, abnormal visual fields and optic disc cupping with or without elevated intra ocular pressure with open-angle on gonioscopy SPSSv.8 was used for data entry and descriptive analysis. Results: The total patients in less than 40 years of age group were 2 (1.34%), in 41-50 years age group were 29 (19.46%), in 51-60 years of age group were 47 (31.54%), and in 61-70 years age group were 71 (47.65%). Conclusion: The results show that there is a high frequency of primary open angle glaucoma among people over age of fifty years. Therefore this population in particular, should be monitored carefully for open angle glaucoma, as early diagnosis and therapy may decrease visual morbidity.