title: Profile of the glaucomas and intervention in a large eye care centre in south-east Nepal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence and risk factors of glaucoma and modes of therapeutical intervention in a rural population of a developing country.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single centre-based cross-sectional study was carried out over a seven-month period in Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital (SCEH), Lahan/NEPAL, including the patients with glaucoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients' demography, type of the glaucomas, visual acuity, vertical cup-disc ratio, intra-ocular pressure and visual field findings were the parameters studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3986 eyes with suspected glaucoma were identified. 53.7% of the patients were between 41-60 years of age. 53.9% were male. 26.5% were blind or severely visually impaired. 37.2% had IOP more than 35 mmHg. 46.4% had vertical cup-disc ratio (VCDR) higher than 0.8. Severe visual field defects were found in 28.4% eyes. 35.3% eyes had primary angle-closure glaucoma, 22.6% eyes primary open-angle glaucoma, and 14.6% eyes normaltension glaucoma. 10.2% eyes suffered from lens induced glaucoma. Only in 9 eyes was pseudoexfoliation syndrome with glaucoma diagnosed. 25.7% eyes were advised for trabeculectomy. 11.5% eyes underwent extra-capsular cataract surgery. IOP lowering medication was prescribed in 5.9% patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The most common glaucoma seen in the out-patient department of a large eyecare centre in South-East Nepal is primary angle-closure glaucoma. 25% of the glaucoma patients are visually impaired or blind at the time of presentation. In more than one-fourth of the patients, trabeculectomy is the therapy of choice.
authors.affiliation: Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital, Laban, Siraha, Nepal.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarkar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mardin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hennig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001766:Blindness / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018463:Filtering Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006782:Hospitals, Special / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents