Profile of glaucoma in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia: A retrospective study

Abstract

Background: Glaucomas remain asymptomatic until severe, indicating that the actual number of affected individuals may be higher than those diagnosed. Objective: To study the clinical patterns of glaucoma cases in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar, and Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The medical records of all patients with glaucoma who visited these hospitals from January 2015 to December 2018 were critically reviewed. Data regarding patients' demographic characteristic, clinical data and their medical and surgical management techniques were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 999 patients were included, of which 52.9% were males, 94.8% were Saudi, and the mean age was 58.8 years. Bilateral involvement was observed in 82.3% of cases. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was the most prevalent type of glaucoma (27.7%), followed by secondary glaucomas (26.7%), primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) (18.2%), primary congenital glaucoma (2.7%), and juvenile open-angle glaucoma (2.2%), which were the most frequent glaucoma subsets. Conclusion: The study population was most affected by POAG, secondary glaucomas and PACG. Knowledge regarding prevalence of glaucoma is important to plan services, allocate resources, and prevent blindness.

Profile of Secondary Glaucoma in Menelik II Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…The leading cause of secondary glaucoma was PXG followed by NVG and uveitic glaucoma in this study and it is similar to the study done in Saudi Arabia (23). While other authors (7,12,21,22) found different common subtypes of secondary glaucoma (Table 4). The prevalence of secondary glaucoma varies globally from 0.2 to 26.7% among various studies with varied etiologies (7,11,(22)(23)(24).…”

“…Likewise, it was reported that more males were affected in a study conducted in India (12). On the other hand, more females were affected, as reported in other studies (21)(22)(23). This could be partly due to variations in the common subtypes of secondary glaucoma or other unknown factors.…”

“…While other authors (7,12,21,22) found different common subtypes of secondary glaucoma (Table 4). The prevalence of secondary glaucoma varies globally from 0.2 to 26.7% among various studies with varied etiologies (7,11,(22)(23)(24). These variations in different studies might be due to differences in socio-demographic characteristics, study design, patient awareness, and availability and quality of ophthalmic services.…”

Prevalence and Characteristics of Glaucoma Among Patients Presenting to Ophthalmology Clinics in a Tertiary Hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain

“…Here, primary open-angle glaucoma was the most encountered type. Similarly, many studies in Middle Eastern countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, and in Asia and America reported the same findings [ 10 - 14 ].…”

“…A study conducted in Saudi Arabia and recruited 999 participants with glaucoma found that 82.3% of them had bilateral involvement, and primary open-angle glaucoma (27.7%) and secondary glaucoma (26.7%) were the most prevalent types[ 14 ].…”