Clinico-demographic profile of patients with early primary open angle glaucoma at a tertiary private eye hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to characterize the clinical and sociodemographic profiles of Nigerian
patients with early-stage primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), with the goal of highlighting the
significance of timely diagnosis in enhancing glaucoma treatment outcomes.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study involved participants aged ≥ 40 years with early POAG. The
participants underwent a slit-lamp examination of the anterior and posterior segments. The examination
included gonioscopy, after which only eyes with open angles were selected. A central visual field test
was conducted, and one eye of each participant who met the criteria for early POAG was selected for
optical coherence tomography/angiography test (OCT/A). The relevant data were analyzed using the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26, with statistical significance set at p<0.05, with
a 95% confidence interval.
Results: There were 90 participants with a mean age of 54.5 ± 10.1 years, comprising 54 males (60%).
All participants had a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of at least LogMAR 0.48, and the mean
central visual field (CVF) MD was -3.50 ± 1.0 dB. The mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness
was 97.79 ± 17.33. The mean peripapillary vessel density (VD) was 50.21 ± 4.54%. Nearly half (47.8%)
of the participants had other systemic medical conditions, primarily hypertension or hyperlipidemia.
Conclusion: Patients with early POAG were asymptomatic and had good visual acuity and minimal
RNFL thickness reduction. This highlights the importance of routine hospital screening of people 40
years and older to aid early diagnosis of POAG.