Blindness prevention through control of ocular hypertension: an epidemiological assessment
✍ Scribed by J. Gorman Daubs; R. Pittscrick
- Book ID
- 104636224
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Year
- 1980
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 480 KB
- Volume
- 3
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0165-5701
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
From a case-control study we have quantified the effect (relative risk) of presenting intraocular pressure on visual field loss in primary open angle glaucoma. We found this effect to be modified by both age and sex. Using these effect values we have estimated the potential for prevention of glaucomatous blindness in clinical and community settings. The clinical, public health, and research implications of these findings and estimates are discussed.
In the previous paper ( 3) it has been shown how the King's College Hospital data can be used in clinical decision making. These same data are also useful in quantifying the overall and both age and sex specific effects of ocular pressure on primary open angle glaucomatous visual field loss (4). Knowing the magnitude of this effect adds to our understanding of the aetiology of open angle glaucoma. Once we know the strength of this effect, we can then determine the potential for preventing this form of blindness through manipulation of the causal factor. The complement of this potential, the residual blindness, must be prevented through discovery and control of other causal agents.