High prevalence of narrow angles among Chinese-American glaucoma and glaucoma suspect patients.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of gonioscopically narrow angles in a Chinese-American population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion.


METHODS
Charts from all Chinese-American patients seen in a comprehensive ophthalmology clinic in the Chinatown district of San Francisco in 2002 were reviewed. One eye from each patient with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion that met inclusion criteria was included (n=108). Data were collected for sex, age, race (self-declared), refraction (spherical equivalent), intraocular pressure, gonioscopy, and vertical cup-to-disk ratio.


RESULTS
Sixty percent (n=65) of Chinese-American eyes with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles (Shaffer grade < or = 2 in 3 or more quadrants). Those with narrow angles were significantly older (P=0.004) than their open angle counterparts, but the 2 groups did not differ in terms of sex, refraction, intraocular pressure, or cup-to-disk ratio (all, P > or = 0.071). In a multivariate model including age, sex, and refraction as predictors of angle grade (open or narrow), only age was a significant predictor of angle grade (P=0.004).


CONCLUSIONS
A large proportion of Chinese-Americans in our study population with glaucoma or glaucoma suspicion had gonioscopically narrow angles. In multivariate analysis, patients with narrow angles were older than those with open angles but did not differ from them in terms of sex or refraction. Continued evaluation of angle closure glaucoma risk among Chinese-Americans is needed.
Seider
Michael I
MI
Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0730, USA.
Pekmezci
Melike
M
Han
Ying
Y
Sandhu
Simi
S
Kwok
Shiu Y
SY
Lee
Roland Y
RY
Lin
Shan C
SC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000867:Anterior Chamber / Q000473:pathology*; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006068:Gonioscopy; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012030:Refractive Errors / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult