Clinical Profile of Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Patients at an Eye Center in Nigeria

Ngozika E Ezinne; Michael A Kwarteng; Kingsley K Ekemiri; Victoria I Iroanachi; Selassie Tagoh; Grace Ogbonna; Khathutshelo P Mashige

doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10078-1413

Clinical Profile of Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Patients at an Eye Center in Nigeria

J Curr Glaucoma Pract. 2023 Jul-Sep;17(3):113-117. doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10078-1413.

Authors

Ngozika E Ezinne¹, Michael A Kwarteng², Kingsley K Ekemiri¹, Victoria I Iroanachi³, Selassie Tagoh⁴, Grace Ogbonna⁵, Khathutshelo P Mashige⁶

Affiliations

¹ Optometry Unit, Department of Clinical Surgical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago.
² Department of Optometry, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe.
³ Department of Optometry, Madonna University, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Optometry, Bindura University of Science Education, Zimbabwe; School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand.
⁵ Department of Optometry, Mzuzu University, Malawi.
⁶ Discipline of Optometry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

Aim: Globally, one of the leading causes of preventable blindness is primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). The study assessed the clinical presentations of POAG patients attending an eye center in Abuja, Nigeria.

Materials and methods: Records of 188 eyes, collected from 94 patients diagnosed with POAG for a period of 1 year at the eye center, were reviewed. Clinical records, including age, gender, visual acuity (VA), central cornea thickness (CCT), intraocular pressure (IOP), cup-to-disk ratios, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness of the participants, were extracted and analyzed.

Results: The majority of the participants were males (56.4%) and adults (57.4%), most of whom had normal VA (>70% in each eye). Our analysis revealed normal average estimates of RNFL thickness, IOP, and CCT among the participants. Females had thicker RNFL compared to males (p = 0.02). Although CCT decreased with age (r = -0.28, p = 0.005), there was no such link between IOP and CCT (r = 0.09, p = 0.38).

Conclusion: Central cornea thickness (CCT), RNFL thickness, and IOP in isolation should not be used as early indicators for POAG; rather, a combination of these and other indices is recommended. Early detection through active screening and treatment in the community for at-risk groups is highly advised.

How to cite this article: Ezinne NE, Kwarteng MA, Ekemiri KK, et al. Clinical Profile of Primary Open-angle Glaucoma Patients at an Eye Center in Nigeria. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2023;17(3):113-117.

Keywords: Abuja; Central cornea thickness; Intraocular pressure; Nigeria; Primary open-angle glaucoma; Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness.