Angle closure glaucoma: a cause for bilateral visual threat.

ABSTRACT

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is a leading cause ofblindness in East Asian people and known to cause bilateral blindness more frequently than other glaucoma. A retrospective study was thus undertaken to see the visual profile among these cases attending glaucoma unit. Total of 387 cases of angle closure glaucoma were seen in 3 years period. Out of these, 278 (71.8%) were females and 109 were males (28.2%). Among total cases, 61.5% had chronic angle closure glaucoma (CACG) and 38.5% had acute angle closure glaucoma (AACG) in one or both eyes. Bilateral angle closure attack was encountered simultaneously in 16 of the total acute angle closure cases accounting for 10.7%. Vision evaluation at the time of diagnosis among chronic angle closure glaucoma revealed blindness in 97 patients accounting for 20.4%. In acute glaucoma cases, after breaking the acute attack, the prevalence of blindness was found to be 8.9% out of total cases. Bilateral blindness was seen in 17.6% of total cases presented with either acute attack or chronic glaucoma. Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) was 32 mmHg (SD = 9.456) and 44 mmHg (8.67) in CACG and AACG respectively. Cataract was associated in 15.1% of CACG and 12.8% of AACG. Cataract related blindness was presumed to be present in only 4.1% cases of CACG and 14.3% of AACG cases who were blind. (p = < 0.001) Angle closure glaucoma is the frequent cause of bilateral blindness.