Glaucoma prevalence

Over 66.8 million people worldwide have glaucoma, making it the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.1 In the United States it is estimated that 2.22 million people are affected by POAG, and by 2020 this number will increase to 3.36 million. The prevalence varies with race and ethnicity and it is 3 to 5 times more prevalent in African-Americans than Caucasians. The prevalence of POAG increases with age and is rarely seen in patients less than 40 years of age.2-4... 

Hypertension is also more prevalent in patients with glaucoma, according to researchers in England who worked with more than twenty-seven thousand subjects who had the eye disease. Doctors in that study speculate that sodium retention may be the underlying cause of both glaucoma and hypertension. 

Age older than 40 years is a risk factor for the development of POAG. Up to 15% of African-American men are affected by the ninth decade of life (Friedman et al., 2004 Table 30.1). Consequently, glaucoma is found to be more prevalent in the aging population, even after compensating for the mean rise in lOP with increasing age in the US. However, the disease itself is not limited to only middle-aged and elderly individuals. 

Briefly discuss the prevalence of primary open angle glaucoma in the United States. 

Friedman DS, Wolfs RC, O Colmain BJ, Klem BE, Taylor HR, West S, Leske MC, Mitchell P, Congdon N, Biempen J, Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group (2004) Prevalence of open-angle glaucoma among adults in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol 122 532—538. 

Tielsch JM, Sommer A, Katz J, Royall RM, Quigley HA, Javitt J (1991) Racial vai iadons in tlie prevalence of primai y open-angle glaucoma Hie Baldmore Eye Suiwey. JAMA 266 369—374. 

Wiggs JL, Allingham RR, Vollradi D (1998) Prevalence of muta-dons in TIGR/Myocilin in padents widi adult and juvenile primary open-angle glaucoma. Am J Hum Genet 63 1549—1552. 

Wolfs RC, Borger PH, Ramrattan RS, Klaver CC, Hulsman CA, Hofman A, Vingerling JR, Hitchings RA, de Jong PT (2000) Changing views on open-angle glaucoma definidons and prevalences—The Rotterdam Study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 41 3309-3321. 

Table 30.1. Prevalence of glaucoma by age, gender, and race. Prevalence/100 Population (95% Cl)...

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT) is more prevalent than closed- or narrow-angle glaucoma. 

United States and 6.7 million worldwide will have bilateral blindness as a result. The prevalence rate varies with age, race, diagnostic criteria, and other factors. In the United States, open-angle glaucoma occurs in 1.5% of the population over 30 years of age, 1.3% of whites and 3.5% of blacks. The incidence of open-angle glaucoma increases with increasing age. The incidence of the disease in patients 80 years of age is 3% in whites and 5% to 8% in blacks. 

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