%0 Journal Article
%T Clinical and demographic profile of patients less than 40 years of age presenting to glaucoma services at a tertiary care eye hospital in South India.
%A Parab A
%A Kavitha S
%A Odayappan A
%A Venkatesh R
%J Indian J Ophthalmol
%V 70
%N 12
%D 12 2022
%M 36453311
%F 2.969
%R 10.4103/ijo.IJO_963_22
%X To study the clinical and demographic profile of patients less than 40 years of age presenting to glaucoma services including the reasons for referral.<BR>Patients in the age group of 5 to 39 years, visiting the glaucoma clinic, who were either suspected to have glaucoma or who had been newly/previously diagnosed with glaucoma were included in the study. After informed written consent, basic demographic details of the participants including age, gender, education, socioeconomic status, and family history were obtained. A comprehensive ophthalmological evaluation was performed by glaucoma specialists.<BR>The proportion of glaucoma in the study population (n = 384) was found to be 31.25%, and the incidence of glaucoma among new patients was found to be 11.9%. Among all glaucomas (n = 120), 44.2% of patients had secondary glaucomas, 27.5% had primary glaucomas, and 28.3% had congenital glaucomas. Also, 67.3% of all glaucoma patients were males. Newly diagnosed glaucoma patients presented with a mean intraocular pressure (IOP) of 32.9 mmHg and mild-moderate disc damage with a mean cup-disc ratio of 0.65. Nearly one-third of them had a presenting visual acuity worse than 5/60. The most common reason for referral was raised IOP. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that the odds of developing glaucoma were less in females (P = 0.04) and in patients with a higher standard of living index (P < 0.001).<BR>One-third of the patients had glaucoma and another one-third were suspects. Secondary glaucomas are more common than primary/congenital glaucomas. A comprehensive eye evaluation is a must, especially in those with predisposing factors.