ABSTRACT
Epidemiological investigation of pseudoexfoliative syndrome (PEX) as a glaucoma predictor is necessary for antiglaucoma treatment planning. AIM: To study the prevalence of PEX and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PXFG) among healthy people, naïve patients, and patients under observation as well as to evaluate the hypotensive efficacy of bimatoprost/timolol fixed combination (FCBT) over 4 months in PXFG. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Epidemiological analysis, ophthalmological examination, statistical analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of PEX among healthy Novosibirsk and Novosibirsk region citizens is 19.9%. In ophthalmologically compromised population and first-time patients, the prevalence of PEX is 24%, of which PXFG constitutes 57.2%. Retrospectively, the prevalence of PXFG in PEX patients who were treated and followed up appeared to be as high as 60.8%. PXFG also accounts for 70% of all open-angle glaucoma cases in the Novosibirsk region, which is much higher than the corresponding rates in the European part of Russia. A 4-month FCBT therapy in 5 groups of PXFG patients (no treatment, monotherapy, another fixed combination, two drugs, three drugs) has yielded an evident hypotensive effect in most patients. The decrease in intraocular pressure was clinically significant in all groups. CONCLUSION: There has been found a high prevalence of PEX and PXFG in the Novosibirsk region. FCBT has demonstrated high hypotensive efficacy at all stages of PXFG and was beneficial even in patients treated with other medications or fixed combinations and in refractory cases.
