Acute closed angle glaucoma and sunshine.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to examine a possible association of amount of sunshine and risk for acute closed angle glaucoma.


METHODS
This was a retrospective analysis of hospital discharge registry data, linked to meteorological data for the same period.


METHODS
The study was a national survey using hospital discharge data for the whole of Finland over a 10 year period.


METHODS
All subjects with the acute closed angle glaucoma diagnosis from the hospital discharge registry were collected for the years 1972 to 1982. A total of 1796 patients were found.


RESULTS
Meteorological data from two cities in Finland, Helsinki and Oulu, were collected for the same years from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. A peak incidence of acute closed angle glaucoma was noted whenever the number of hours without sunshine increased. A regression analysis including incidence of acute closed angle glaucoma as a dependent variable, and sex, mean temperature, mean air pressure, mean humidity, total amount of rain per month, and mean sunshine hours as independent variables, was constructed. Sex and sunshine hours best explained the variation in incidence in a covariate model. No other meteorological variate could improve the model fit.


CONCLUSIONS
The result confirms that the number of hours without sunshine is positively associated with the incidence of acute closed angle glaucoma, when other meteorological variables are controlled for.
Teikari
J M
JM
Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Finland.
O'Donnell
J
J
Nurminen
M
M
Raivio
I
I
D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015812:Glaucoma, Angle-Closure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013472:Sunlight / Q000009:adverse effects*