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Abstract #74816 Published in IGR 19-1
Eradicating primary congenital glaucoma from Saudi Arabia: The case for a national screening program
Malik R; Khandekar R; Boodhna T; Rahbeeni Z; Al Towerki AE; Edward DP; Abu-Amero KSaudi Journal of Ophthalmology 2017; 31: 247-249
The prevalence of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in Saudi Arabia is high and the condition is a cause of childhood blindness in the country. Children often present with severe disease, requiring multiple procedures and a lifetime of medical care. The social and economic burden of the condition is substantial. Presently, the mainstay of management is early diagnosis and treatment of PCG. Premarital screening, especially in recessive diseases, such as PCG can be immensely useful by detecting the presence of a defect in the causative gene, followed by genetic counseling to potential couples that will lead to eradication of the disease in future generations. The introduction of a national screening program similar to the one already functioning for thalassemia, could potentially eliminate childhood blindness from PCG in Saudi Arabia and is likely to prove cost-effective.
King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Full articleClassification:
9.1.1 Congenital glaucoma, Buphthalmos (Part of: 9 Clinical forms of glaucomas > 9.1 Developmental glaucomas)
1.6 Prevention and screening (Part of: 1 General aspects)
