title: Glaucoma blind registration in Fife (2000-2009) - a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To collate information on patients registered blind secondary to glaucoma between 2000 and 2009 and compare findings to an identical study completed a decade earlier between 1990 and 1999.
  
  
  METHODS
  The records of all people registered as blind via the Fife Society for the Blind between 2000 and 2009 were retrospectively examined and those with glaucoma as the primary cause were studied in detail. We compared these results with the results of our previous study, in which we examined the same documents for the preceding decade, 1990-1999.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The glaucoma blind registration rate was reduced by 31% in the current study compared to the previous one (60 vs 87 patients, p = 0.013). At the same time, there was a 6% increase in blindness registrations due to all causes (881 vs 938, p = 0.62). Patients were referred with significantly fewer visual symptoms (33% vs 60%, p = 0.002) and glaucoma surgery rates increased from 44% to 62% in the current study (p = 0.013). In the later decade, more patients were offered partial sight registration before blind registration (37% vs 10%, p < 0.0001) and sustained independent living at the time of blind registration in this study (66% vs 33%, p < 0.0001). Nearly one-third of patients in the study group had cognitive impairment and/or hearing loss and this was similar to the first study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study demonstrates a downward trend in the rates of blind registration due to glaucoma, compared to stable rates of registration for all diseases. Over the time period of the two studies there were refinements in the way glaucoma is managed medically by the hospital eye service and in the community, with a high level of input maintained from the local low vision service.
authors: Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland. uocolmain@nhs.net
authors: Una
authors: U
authors: O'Colmain
authors: Deepa
authors: D
authors: Anijeet
authors: Marcus
authors: M
authors: Vosoughi
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Sinclair
authors: Roshini
authors: R
authors: Sanders