Prevalence of glaucoma in an eye clinic in Ghana

Abstract

Background — Glaucoma is an important eye disease that causes blindness with a frequency second only to blindness due to cataracts. Early detection of the condition is critical to preventing irreversible blindness in those affected. Objective — The purpose of this study was therefore to determine the prevalence of glaucoma in an eye clinic in Ghana, West Africa and help raise awareness of the situation on the ground. Methods and Results — The study is a retrospective study of the Out-Patient Department morbidity of glaucoma at the Emmavick Eye Clinic in Sunyani, Ghana spanning a period of 35 months. The study included patients visiting the clinic for the first time. The diagnostics tools used included tonometry, ophthalmoscopy (examination of optic disc) and perimetry. Out of a total of 5828 patients seen over the study period, 460 (7.89%) subjects presented with glaucoma. The prevalence of glaucoma in female Adults was 9.52% whilst that of male adults was 8.77%. The prevalence of glaucoma in children was 1.41%. Conclusion — The result of the present study affirms the fact that glaucoma is more prevalent in the adult population than in the younger population. This situation has a huge toll on the economy of developing countries like Ghana where there is need of much human resource to drive the advance toward high-income status. Mass education and screening is needed to identify affected individuals for early treatment and inform the populace about the insidious nature of glaucoma and its potential to irreversibly impair vision in affected individuals.

Keywords

• glaucoma
• ophthalmoscopy
• perimetry
• tonometry
• intraocular pressure