Aim: To determine the contribution of glaucoma to ocular morbidity and the different types of glaucoma seen.
Method: Medical records of all new patients attending the consultant outpatient clinics of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin city, Nigeria, over a 2-year period were reviewed. Those with a diagnosis of glaucoma were analysed.
Results: Of 1,698 new patients, 147 (8.7%) had glaucoma diagnosed. One hundred and thirteen patients (76.9%) had primary open angle glaucoma, 4 patients (2.7%) had primary angle closure glaucoma, one patient (0.7%) had congenital glaucoma, 5 patients (3.4%) had juvenile glaucoma and 24 patients (16.3%) had secondary glaucoma. Among the patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, 19 patients (16.8%) and 47 patients (41.6%) were blind using visual acuity estimation and visual field criteria respectively.
Conclusion: Glaucoma remains a common cause of ocular morbidity worldwide as in our centre. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common type while primary angle-closure glaucoma remains relatively rare. Key words: glaucoma, morbidity, types, Benin City.