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. 2020 Sep;83(9):880-884.
doi: 10.1097/JCMA.0000000000000385.

Prevalence of glaucoma in the elderly population in Taiwan: The Shihpai Eye Study

Che-Yuan Kuo  1 , Yu-Chieh Ko  1   2   3 , Tung-Mei Kuang  1   2 , Pesus Chou  4 , Shih-Hwa Chiou  1   5 , Catherine Jui-Ling Liu  1   2
Affiliations

Prevalence of glaucoma in the elderly population in Taiwan: The Shihpai Eye Study

Che-Yuan Kuo et al. J Chin Med Assoc. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics, and the awareness status of glaucoma in an elderly Chinese population.

Methods: A total of 460 individuals aged ≥72 years were enrolled in this cross-sectional community-based eye disease screening program. Glaucoma was diagnosed according to the diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology. Characteristics of subjects with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) were described and compared between groups using Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests.

Results: Forty subjects were diagnosed with glaucoma, including 17 subjects with POAG, 22 with PACG, and one with secondary glaucoma. The estimated prevalence of glaucoma, POAG, and PACG was 8.7%, 3.7%, and 4.8%, respectively. In total, 71% of the subjects with PACG and 77% of POAG subjects presented with a normal intraocular pressure (IOP) of <19 mmHg. The demographic and ocular characteristics were similar between the two groups; however, subjects with POAG had a longer axial length and smaller vertical disc diameter than those with PACG. Further, 95% of the glaucoma subjects ever visited the eye clinic, but only 32.5% of them were aware of the disease.

Conclusion: Glaucoma is prevalent in the elderly population in Taiwan, but the diagnostic rate and disease awareness are low. Since most subjects with glaucoma presented with normal IOPs, optic disc evaluation is critical for diagnosing glaucoma in the elderly in Taiwan.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article.

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