The incidence of primary angle-closure glaucoma in Olmsted County, Minnesota
J. C. Erie, D. O. Hodge and D. T. Gray
Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., USA.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of primary angle-closure glaucoma
(PACG) and to assess the visual outcomes of patients treated for PACG.
DESIGN: Population-based retrospective incidence study. SETTING AND
PATIENTS: Residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, aged 40 years and older
and diagnosed with PACG in the 13-year period between January 1, 1980, and
December 31, 1992. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Incident cases of PACG identified
through the Medical Diagnostic Index of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, and
the Rochester Epidemiology Project. RESULTS: Thirty-six incident cases were
identified. The mean annual age-and sex-adjusted incidence per 100000
people aged 40 years and older was 8.3 (95% confidence interval, 5.6-11.0).
The probability of monocular blindness associated with PACG at the time of
diagnosis was 14%. Among patients not monocularly blind at diagnosis, the
5-year probability of developing monocular blindness associated with PACG
was 4%. CONCLUSIONS: Primary angle-closure glaucoma is an uncommon disease
in our community. Most of the patients blinded by PACG were blind at the
time the condition was diagnosed.
