First-degree Relatives Of Glaucoma Patients Research Articles

Opportunistic Eye Screening Among First-Degree Relatives of Glaucoma Patients at a Suburban Tertiary Center in Malaysia.

Background and objectiveThe majority of glaucoma patients are asymptomatic and are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of glaucoma screening among known first-degree relatives of primary glaucoma patients.Materials and methodsThis study involved primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and juvenile open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) patients who attended the glaucoma clinic at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia between January 2014 and December 2015. First-degree relatives of the patients underwent a preliminary eye-screening evaluation, including visual acuity (Snellen chart), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement (air-puff tonometry), and non-mydriatic fundus photography. Patients with visual acuity worse than 6/12, IOP measuring more than 21 mmHg or a difference of more than 3 mmHg between the eyes, and a vertical cup-disc ratio (VCDR) of 0.7 or higher were given a comprehensive eye examination.ResultsSeventy indexed glaucoma patients were recognized, and 368 first-degree relatives were identified. Forty-five relatives underwent the preliminary screening. Of these, 29 showed normal findings (62%), one had corneal pathology (2%), and 16 (36%) underwent a complete eye examination after failing the initial screening. Among the indexed JOAG group, five relatives (11%) were diagnosed as having JOAG; two were treated medically, while the remaining three required surgical intervention.ConclusionOpportunistic glaucoma screening of high-risk groups, especially JOAG is a feasible and cost-effective way to detect early glaucoma and prevent irreversible blindness. However, improvement in our healthcare system, including the involvement of multicentre clinics in other states in screening initiatives, is required to promote and facilitate the response to screening opportunities.

Screening first-degree relatives of glaucoma patients reveals barriers to participation

PurposeTo report the results of a glaucoma screening campaign targeting first-degree relatives of glaucoma patients in South India.Methods1598 glaucoma patients were contacted via letter or letter and phone call and...

The Effect of a Reminder Short Message Service on the Uptake of Glaucoma Screening by First-Degree Relatives of Glaucoma Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the role of a reminder short message service (SMS) on the uptake of glaucoma screening by first-degree relatives (FDRs) of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in North-central Nigeria following a telephone invitation for screening.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the eye clinic of a tertiary hospital in Jos, North-central Nigeria. Two hundred FDRs of patients with POAG were invited through phone for free glaucoma screening and randomly allocated into two groups. The intervention group received a reminder SMS, whereas the control group did not receive a reminder. Those who failed to turn up for screening were contacted through phone to determine the reasons for their nonattendance. Chi-square test and bivariate analysis were used to compare attendance rate between the two groups.RESULTS:Sending a reminder SMS following a telephone invitation had no effect on the uptake of glaucoma screening. The response rate was lower in the phone call plus reminder SMS group (43.0% vs. 53.0%) though the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.157). Competing needs such as work and lack of transport fare were the most common reasons given for not attending the screening.CONCLUSION:A reminder text message is not an effective tool for increasing the uptake of glaucoma screening in at-risk individuals in North-central Nigeria. Existing barriers to health care in the country need to be addressed before mobile phone technology can be effectively used in increasing the utilization of any free eye screening service.

Focusing on patients at high-risk for glaucoma in Brazil: A pilot study

Purpose To assess the results of a pilot study for screening high-risk individuals for glaucoma in Brazil. Methods Using cross-sectional methodology, the study population consisted of first-degree relatives of known glaucoma patients. Risk factors were assessed through a questionnaire, and each subject received a complete eye examination. Results Sixty individuals were identified and examined. The most relevant risk factors for glaucoma were: age older than 40 years (86.7%), systemic hypertension (46.7%), and self-identification as non-white (35%). Final diagnoses were normal (63.3%), glaucoma (23.3%), ocular hypertension (11.7%), and angle-closure without glaucoma (1.7%). Clinical features that were significant as an indicator of glaucoma presence were non-white participants (OR = 6.7, p = 0.004), central corneal thickness < 520 μm (OR = 6.286, p = 0.007), and cup-to-disc ratio ≥ 0.6 (OR = 3.00, p = 0.07). Conclusions Despite our study's small sample size, this high prevalence of glaucoma (23.3%) highlights the importance of identifying for screening at-risk, first-degree relatives of glaucoma patients. Pachymetry was an important diagnostic tool for glaucoma within this population.

Prevalence of Open Angle Glaucoma in Accompanying First Degree Relatives of Patients with Glaucoma

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of open angle glaucoma in first-degree relatives accompanying POAG patients during routine examination in a reference hospital.METHODFirst-degree relatives of primary open angle glaucoma patients who accompanied their relatives to the glaucoma service of a reference hospital were screened for glaucoma.RESULTSOne-hundred and one first-degree relatives were examined, of which 56.4% had never had their intraocular pressure measured. 10.9% had previously been diagnosed with glaucoma, and 5.9% were newly diagnosed during this study.CONCLUSIONSThe eye examination of first-degree relatives identified a significant percentage of individuals with glaucoma. Despite being first-degree relatives of glaucoma patients, 56.4% of the companions had never had their eye pressure measured, demonstrating a lack of awareness about this disease.

Screening for glaucoma with a non‐mydriatic fundus camera

183 first-degree relatives of glaucoma patients were photographed by a technician with non-mydriatic fundus camera in order to study the suitability of wide angle black-and-white fundus photographs in screening for glaucoma. The success rate of photography was 92%. The optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer abnormalities were evaluated from the photographs by an ophthalmologist. 31 subjects (17%) were referred to further ophthalmological examinations. We found 6 (3%) new glaucomas. In addition, in 6 patients (3%) retinal nerve fiber layer defect was the only abnormality, 5 subjects (3%) showed a hemorrhage and 2 eyes had collateral vessels as a sign of asymptomatic venous stasis change at the optic disc. Only 1 of the 6 (17%) patients with glaucoma would have been found with tonometry alone. The results of this study indicate that non-mydriatic retinal camera is a useful tool in screening for glaucoma.