Main Article Content

The prevalence of the diagnosis of increased intra-ocular pressure in a general practice


M Van Niekerk
FC Van Rooyen
G Joubert
LA Hiemstra

Abstract

Glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness.1 The disease occurs in 3% to 4% of all people over the age of 70 years.1 As many as 50% of patients suffering from this disease are unaware of their condition until a comparatively late stage, due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease.2 Of the objective signs of primary open angle glaucoma, the loss of visual field and pathological cupping would generally have reached an advanced stage before they could be recognised by a general practitioner, and aqueous flow can only be measured with the use of specialised equipment. However, increased intra-ocular pressure can easily be detected by tonometry performed by a general practitioner.3

For full text, click here:SA Fam Pract 2006;48(3):16-16

Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 2078-6204
print ISSN: 2078-6190