advertisement
Abstract #91373 Published in IGR 21-4
Epidemiology and clinical presentation of glaucoma in a referral facility in Ghana: Any lessons for public health intervention?
Kyei S; Obeng PA; Kwarteng MA; Kwarteng MA; Assiamah F; Assiamah FPLoS ONE 2021; 16: e0245486
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological and clinical profile of patients living with glaucoma and receiving care in a tertiary eye center in Ghana. This was a hospital-based retrospective study of clinical records of glaucoma patients from January 2010 to December 2019. The study involved collating demographic information of patients, clinical presentation, and the management of glaucoma. A total of nineteen thousand (19,000) charts were retrieved from the eye center's archives. Out of these, 660 (3.5%) records of patients qualified for the study and were analyzed. There were 398 (60.3%) males and 262 (39.7%) females. Their ages ranged from 9 to 86 years (mean age = 47.30; SD ± 16.86 years). The averages of ocular parameters of 1,320 eyes (660 patients) were visual acuity = 0.26 ± 0.55 logMAR; intraocular pressure: 17.31 ± 6.11 mmHg; cup-to-disc ratios: 0.67 ± 0.17 D; and the average retinal nerve fibers thickness was 95.03 ± 21.74 μm. The mainstay of treatment was the sole use of medication. Males were the major group receiving glaucoma care at the tertiary level. Glaucoma cases included juveniles but the mean age suggests most were of adult-onset. Socio-demographic characteristics affected the diagnosis and management of glaucoma among patients receiving care at a referral center. Public health, stakeholders, and policymakers' interventions can help identify individuals with glaucoma.
Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Full articleClassification:
1.1 Epidemiology (Part of: 1 General aspects)