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The effect of different criteria on the number of patients blind from open-angle glaucoma

Heijl, Anders LU ; Aspberg, Johan LU orcid and Bengtsson, Boel LU (2011) In BMC Ophthalmology 11(31).
Abstract
Background: The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment from glaucoma is influenced by the criteria used to define these entities, which differ between countries and regions, as well as among published reports. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the extent to which different criteria of blindness and visual impairment influence estimates of the number of patients classified as blind or visually impaired by glaucoma in a clinic-based population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 914 patients with open-angle glaucoma to compare numbers of patients identified as visually impaired with and without considering visual field status. We also compared proportions classified using World Health Organisation... (More)
Background: The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment from glaucoma is influenced by the criteria used to define these entities, which differ between countries and regions, as well as among published reports. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the extent to which different criteria of blindness and visual impairment influence estimates of the number of patients classified as blind or visually impaired by glaucoma in a clinic-based population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 914 patients with open-angle glaucoma to compare numbers of patients identified as visually impaired with and without considering visual field status. We also compared proportions classified using World Health Organisation (WHO) and United States (US) blindness criteria, and applying a new US Social Security Administration (SSA) disability criterion: perimetric mean deviation (MD) <= -22 dB. Results: Forty patients (4.4%) were bilaterally blind from glaucoma by the WHO criteria. Fifty-two (5.7%) were blind by the the US criterion. Assessing only visual acuity, 14 (1.5%) patients were blind by the WHO criteria and 24 (2.6%) by the US definition. Eighty-five (9.3%) met the US SSA disability criterion. Among those, 52 were impaired also by the WHO definition. No patients impaired according to the WHO criteria had MD values better than -22 dB. Conclusions: Excluding visual field status will seriously underestimate the prevalence of glaucoma blindness. In our patient population, 30% more patients were classified as blind by the US than by the WHO definition. Also, 60% more were identified as visually impaired by the US SSA criterion than by the WHO criteria. Visual field assessment is vital to determine visual impairment caused by glaucoma. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
BMC Ophthalmology
volume
11
issue
31
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • wos:000298190600001
  • scopus:80755125818
ISSN
1471-2415
DOI
10.1186/1471-2415-11-31
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
2db23a59-5838-401e-89ad-79dfa2e86245 (old id 2333354)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:22:32
date last changed
2022-09-12 18:24:27
@article{2db23a59-5838-401e-89ad-79dfa2e86245,
  abstract     = {{Background: The prevalence of blindness and visual impairment from glaucoma is influenced by the criteria used to define these entities, which differ between countries and regions, as well as among published reports. The objective of the present study was to ascertain the extent to which different criteria of blindness and visual impairment influence estimates of the number of patients classified as blind or visually impaired by glaucoma in a clinic-based population. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 914 patients with open-angle glaucoma to compare numbers of patients identified as visually impaired with and without considering visual field status. We also compared proportions classified using World Health Organisation (WHO) and United States (US) blindness criteria, and applying a new US Social Security Administration (SSA) disability criterion: perimetric mean deviation (MD) &lt;= -22 dB. Results: Forty patients (4.4%) were bilaterally blind from glaucoma by the WHO criteria. Fifty-two (5.7%) were blind by the the US criterion. Assessing only visual acuity, 14 (1.5%) patients were blind by the WHO criteria and 24 (2.6%) by the US definition. Eighty-five (9.3%) met the US SSA disability criterion. Among those, 52 were impaired also by the WHO definition. No patients impaired according to the WHO criteria had MD values better than -22 dB. Conclusions: Excluding visual field status will seriously underestimate the prevalence of glaucoma blindness. In our patient population, 30% more patients were classified as blind by the US than by the WHO definition. Also, 60% more were identified as visually impaired by the US SSA criterion than by the WHO criteria. Visual field assessment is vital to determine visual impairment caused by glaucoma.}},
  author       = {{Heijl, Anders and Aspberg, Johan and Bengtsson, Boel}},
  issn         = {{1471-2415}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{11}},
  number       = {{31}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Ophthalmology}},
  title        = {{The effect of different criteria on the number of patients blind from open-angle glaucoma}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/3332717/2369643.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/1471-2415-11-31}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}