CLINICAL PROFILE AND DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE ONSET OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA

Abstract

Introduction- Juvenile open angle glaucoma (JOAG) is a rare form of glaucoma that differs from adult-onset primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in its age of onset and often in the magnitude of IOP(intraocular pressure) elevation. Objective-To document the demographic characteristics, clinical features and treatment outcome of patients diagnosed with JOAG. Materials And Methods- A non-comparative retrospective study of patients diagnosed with JOAG in the eye clinic of a tertiary eye care centre was done. Data was taken from clinical records and it included the basic demographic features and the clinical characteristics of the patients and the outcome of their treatment. Results- 30 patients were reviewed of which 9 (29.97%) patients were aged 20 years and below. The mean age was 26.2+/- 5.0 years. 12 (39.96 %) had a visual acuity of 6/18 in the better eye at the time of presentation. 8 (26.64%) patients defaulted within six months of presentation. The mean IOPfor the 22 patients who were followed up on treatment, was 16.35+/- 5.0 mmHg. Conclusion- In this study, most patients with JOAG presented an advance form of disease. Early detection through school eye health program and community-based screening would help in reducing the scourge arising from JOAG.