Incidence of open-angle glaucoma in central Sweden.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the incidence rate of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in a population in which pseudoexfoliation is a common finding.


METHODS
A population-based survey of 760 people aged 65-74 years was conducted in the municipality of Tierp, in central Sweden, during 1984-86. Visual fields (VFs) were tested with the Competer 350 automated perimeter. The present report concerns 711 people, all of whom participated in the survey and were not diagnosed with glaucoma. Since 1988, a follow-up study of the 530 individuals in this cohort with normal and reliable VFs has been in progress. Incident cases of OAG were identified among study participants and patients seeking medical attention at the Eye Department in Tierp. Records of prescriptions for anti-glaucoma drugs were used to search for unidentified patients. A time-weighted mean intraocular pressure (IOP) for all visits was calculated.


RESULTS
By the end of the study in May 2006, 51 new cases of definite OAG had been identified, 31 with capsular and 20 with chronic simple glaucoma. Of these, 46 cases were detected in the follow-up study, corresponding to an incidence of 7.11 (95% confidence interval 5.06-9.17) per 1000 person-years. Twelve of the 51 cases were classified as normal-tension glaucoma, all of which were found in the follow-up study. Open-angle glaucoma with a mean IOP > or = 23 mmHg tended to emerge closer to the baseline examination than OAG with a mean IOP < 23 mmHg.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of OAG was high compared with that reported for other studies conducted in White populations.
Ekström
Curt
C
Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. curt.ekstrom@akademiska.se
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology