Primary Open Angle Glaucoma: Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects of 63 Cases at National Hospital Center in Mauritania

Abstract

Introduction: Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is an anterior optic neuropathy of chronic and progressive course, characterized by perimeter alteration and excavation of the specific optic disc. This neuropathy is usually accompanied by ocular hypertonia. The iridocorneal angle remains open in gonioscopy. POAG is the primary cause of irreversible blindness in adults around the world, posing a real public health and quality of life problem as well as an economic problem. The progressive and irreversible loss of vision makes POAG a disease that can lead to blindness. The main objective of our study is to describe the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of primary open angle glaucoma in the ophthalmology department of the National Hospital Center of Nouakchott. Materials and Methods: It was a prospective descriptive study of 6 months (March 1st 2017 to August 30th 2017), on patients with a POAG with the presence of at least one of the three signs (intraocular pressure > 21 mmHg, papillary cup/disc vertical excavation ≥ 0.5 and a field altered apart from all other causes). All glaucoma patients seen during the study period benefited from a complete eye examination. The studied variables were the family history of glaucoma, age, intra ocular pressure (IOP) and pachymeter. Results: The mean age was 58.7 years. About 2/3 of the patients had a lower pachymeter to normal (63% of cases), a genetically thinner cornea results in an underestimation of the IOP measurement. The male was the most represented with a sex ratio M/F (1.42), the main characteristic factors were family history of glaucoma (39.7%), artery hypertension, diabetic and headache. The success rate of surgery was 69.8%, while 11% of our patients had refused any kind of treatment, no complications were noted, Conclusion: POAG is a multifactorial condition which can lead to blindness if not early diagnosed or if treatment is poorly conducted, hence the importance of prevention by screening and informing the population about this pathology.