Screening Of Patients With Primary Glaucoma In The First Degree Relatives

Objective:To screen primary glaucoma in the first degree relatives aged> or=40years, exploring effective methods of detecting primary glaucoma earlier.Methods:All the first degree relatives of313patients with primary glaucoma who were diagnosed in Weifang eye hospital from May2009to October2010were enrolled to accept screening test, including:visual acuity, intraocular pressure(IOP), anterior chamber depth, evaluation of the optic disc, gonioscopy and perimetry were performed in defined individuals.Results:In this survey,1631individuals were designed totally,483individuals were actually enrolled, and the examination rate was29.61%. Prevalence of primary glaucoma in the first degree relatives was7.25%, prevalence of primary glaucoma and PACG in the first degree relatives increased as age increasing.(χ2=5.37, P=0.02), but the difference was not significant among different age groups(P=0.08). Prevalence of POAG in the first degree relatives was linearly associated with age. Prevalence of both PACG and POAG in the first degree relatives were statistically different between male and female(χ2=5.29,4.39;P=0.02,0.04), but not in primary glaucoma. The diagnosed age for POAG was from18to78(52.1±13.4), while the age for PACG was from54to82(67.1±7.8), the difference was statistically significant (Z=7.64, P<0.01).Conclusion:(1) Prevalence of primary glaucoma in the first degree relatives was significantly higher than general population. It is an effective way to screen patients with primary glaucoma earlier in the first degree relatives.(2) Prevalence of POAG was significantly higher than PACG in the first degree relatives, suggesting that we should pay more attention to screening of patients with POAG in the future work.