study of different risk factors for glaucoma in Ismailia primary care units

ABSTRACT

Glaucoma is a serious disease which leads to permanent visual damage. Early detection is extremely needed to prevent glaucoma blindness. General physicians should be aware of different risk factors for glaucoma in order to pick up suspicious cases. This study was conducted in Ismailia primary care unites to detect different risk factors for glaucoma. Optic discs inspection by direct ophthalmoscopy and ocular tension measurement by Schoitz tonometry were our screening parameters. Suspicious cases of glaucoma were thoroughly investigated in the Ophthalmology Department-Suez Canal University. The study included 1028 eyes of 522 persons above 40 yrs old. Chronic glaucoma was diagnosed in 85eyes [8.3%]. The studied risk factors were high myopia [13.1%], hypertension [10.7%] and diabetes mellitus [7.3%]