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Purpose: To determine disease severity in glaucoma patients who presented to a tertiary care service for the first time and to determine the prevalence of different types of glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective analysis of data of patients referred to the Glaucoma Service at the Santa Casa de Misericordia de Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2007. A complete chart review from 448 patients was done; data regarding age, gender, ethnicity, family history, duration of the disease, previous treatment, best corrected visual acuity, cup-to-disc ratio, intraocular pressure, diagnosis and treatment were collected. Glaucoma was diagnosed by the presence of typical optic disk abnormalities, disregarding IOP values. Results: 52.3% of patients presented visual acuity less than or equal to 20/200 and 67.7% presented cup-to-disc ratio between 0.8 and 1.0 in the worse-seeing eye; 13.4% of patients were considered legally blind. Primary open angle glaucoma was the most prevalent form of glaucoma (54.2%, 95% CI: 48.5-59.5) and chronic angle closure glaucoma was the second most frequent (11.5%, 95% CI: 8.25-15.5). Conclusion: A considerable rate of patients (almost 60% in the better-seeing eye and 70% in the worse-seeing eye) presented with advanced glaucoma. Strategies that create conditions for early diagnosis are deemed necessary to reduce glaucoma-related blindness in the Brazilian population.
T.H. Osaki. Department of Ophthalmology, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericordia de Sao Paulo Hospital, R. Vergueiro, 2045 cj 1009, Sao Paulo, 04101-000, SP, Brazil. tammyht32@yahoo.com.br
1.5 Glaucomas as cause of blindness (Part of: 1 General aspects)
1.1 Epidemiology (Part of: 1 General aspects)