Increased likelihood of glaucoma at the same screening intraocular pressure in subjects with pseudoexfoliation: the Thessaloniki Eye Study.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the clinical characteristics of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEXG) identified in the Thessaloniki Eye Study and to evaluate the proportion of subjects with and without pseudoexfoliation (PEX) who have glaucoma by screening intraocular pressure (IOP).


METHODS
Cross-sectional, population-based study.


METHODS
Randomly selected subjects > or =60 years (n = 2,554) participated in the Thessaloniki Eye Study. Subjects were classified as having POAG or PEXG according to specific criteria. POAG and PEXG cases were compared for various clinical characteristics. The proportion with glaucoma among subjects with PEX and the proportion with glaucoma among subjects without PEX were estimated by IOP levels.


RESULTS
Among the clinic-visit participants (n = 2,261), 94 subjects (4.2%) had POAG and 41 (1.8%) had PEXG. The prevalence of glaucoma among subjects with PEX was 15.2% and the prevalence of glaucoma among subjects without PEX was 4.7%. In subjects without treatment, the mean IOPs were 19.8 mm Hg and 24.3 mm Hg for POAG and PEXG, respectively. For IOP level >20 mm Hg, the proportion with glaucoma among subjects with PEX was higher than that for glaucoma among subjects without PEX (37% vs 15%; P = .004), while no statistically significant difference was found for IOP level < or =20 mm Hg (2.1% vs 2.1%; P = .999), Fisher exact test.


CONCLUSIONS
In the Thessaloniki Eye Study, for screening IOP </=20 mm Hg the proportion with glaucoma was similar in subjects with and without PEX. For IOP level >20 mm Hg, the proportion with glaucoma increased highly in subjects both with and without PEX, while it was much higher among those with PEX at the same screening IOP.
Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Ahepa Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece. ftopouzis@otenet.gr
Fotis
F
Topouzis
Alon
A
Harris
M Roy
MR
Wilson
Archimidis
A
Koskosas
Panayiota
P
Founti
Fei
F
Yu
Eleftherios
E
Anastasopoulos
Theofanis
T
Pappas
Anne L
AL
Coleman
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017889:Exfoliation Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D014794:Visual Fields