Glaucoma care and follow-up in sub-Saharan Africa: Is there a need for modification of counselling practices to improve awareness, knowledge and treatment acceptance profiles? A prospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Blindness from glaucoma is prevalent in parts of Africa. Lack of awareness, late diagnosis, poor acceptance and compliance to treatment as well as unorthodox care practices are among many contributing factors. Strategies that improve glaucoma awareness and treatment acceptance are required to resolve this trend. PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of counselling on glaucoma awareness, willingness to accept glaucoma surgery and eye care practices among primary open-angle glaucoma patients on medical treatment. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional interviewer-administered questionnaire-based study evaluating the demographics, glaucoma awareness, acceptance of operative care and use of traditional eye medications among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma on medical treatment followed up over a 12-month period. RESULTS: A total of 120 eligible participants were recruited. Glaucoma awareness and basic knowledge were 93.3 and 12%, respectively. Educational attainment and positive family history were associated with glaucoma awareness (p = 0.027 and p = 0.042, respectively). Seventy-five (62.5%) participants accepted glaucoma surgery as a treatment option. However, the duration of medical treatment was inversely related to the acceptance of glaucoma surgery (odds ratio = - 0.390, p = 0.009). Twelve (10.5%) participants use traditional eye medication for their current eye problem. CONCLUSION: Glaucoma counselling should be performed with a content template that delivers all relevant information to patients and caregivers. This will bridge gaps in knowledge and improve the early presentation, acceptance of glaucoma surgery and eye care practices.

Association of Genetic Variants With Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Among Individuals With African Ancestry.

Importance: Primary open-angle glaucoma presents with increased prevalence and a higher degree of clinical severity in populations of African ancestry compared with European or Asian ancestry. Despite this, individuals of African ancestry remain understudied in genomic research for blinding disorders. Objectives: To perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of African ancestry populations and evaluate potential mechanisms of pathogenesis for loci associated with primary open-angle glaucoma. Design, Settings, and Participants: A 2-stage GWAS with a discovery data set of 2320 individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma and 2121 control individuals without primary open-angle glaucoma. The validation stage included an additional 6937 affected individuals and 14 917 unaffected individuals using multicenter clinic- and population-based participant recruitment approaches. Study participants were recruited from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, the United States, Tanzania, Britain, Cameroon, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Morocco, Peru, and Mali from 2003 to 2018. Individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma had open iridocorneal angles and displayed glaucomatous optic neuropathy with visual field defects. Elevated intraocular pressure was not included in the case definition. Control individuals had no elevated intraocular pressure and no signs of glaucoma. Exposures: Genetic variants associated with primary open-angle glaucoma. Main Outcomes and Measures: Presence of primary open-angle glaucoma. Genome-wide significance was defined as P < 5 × 10-8 in the discovery stage and in the meta-analysis of combined discovery and validation data. Results: A total of 2320 individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma (mean [interquartile range] age, 64.6 [56-74] years; 1055 [45.5%] women) and 2121 individuals without primary open-angle glaucoma (mean [interquartile range] age, 63.4 [55-71] years; 1025 [48.3%] women) were included in the discovery GWAS. The GWAS discovery meta-analysis demonstrated association of variants at amyloid-ß A4 precursor protein-binding family B member 2 (APBB2; chromosome 4, rs59892895T>C) with primary open-angle glaucoma (odds ratio [OR], 1.32 [95% CI, 1.20-1.46]; P = 2 × 10-8). The association was validated in an analysis of an additional 6937 affected individuals and 14 917 unaffected individuals (OR, 1.15 [95% CI, 1.09-1.21]; P < .001). Each copy of the rs59892895*C risk allele was associated with increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma when all data were included in a meta-analysis (OR, 1.19 [95% CI, 1.14-1.25]; P = 4 × 10-13). The rs59892895*C risk allele was present at appreciable frequency only in African ancestry populations. In contrast, the rs59892895*C risk allele had a frequency of less than 0.1% in individuals of European or Asian ancestry. Conclusions and Relevance: In this genome-wide association study, variants at the APBB2 locus demonstrated differential association with primary open-angle glaucoma by ancestry. If validated in additional populations this finding may have implications for risk assessment and therapeutic strategies.

Mapping the pathways to eye care in a rural south-east Nigerian population: any implications for practice, eye care programs and policy?

INTRODUCTION: The appropriateness of the initial pathway to care, especially eye care, is critical for timeliness and outcomes of care. Individual-dependent and health system-determined factors influence the preferred initial pathway to care. This study aimed to map the initial pathways to eye care in a rural population in south-east Nigeria and identify the associated factors. METHODS: This study was a population-based, cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted in Abagana, a rural south-east Nigeria community, in September 2011. Using a researcher-administered questionnaire, data on participants' sociodemographics, preferred initial eyecare pathway when confronted with an eye disorder and their reason(s) for the choice of pathway were collected. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed. Regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of visiting an ophthalmologist when confronted with an eye disorder. In all comparisons, p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The participants (n = 501: 263 men; 238 women) were aged 48.9±16.3 years (range 18-93 years). The majority of the participants were married (339; 67.7%) and possessed formal education (415; 82.8%). The participants' frequently preferred initial pathways to eye care were to consult a patent medicine dealer (178; 35.0%), to consult an ophthalmologist (165; 33.0%), and to self-medicate (125; 25.0%). Possession of formal education (odds ratio 0.3; 95% confidence interval 0.1-0.5; p < 0.001) was the only significant sociodemographic predictor of consulting an ophthalmologist when confronted with an eye disorder The participants' main reasons for not consulting an ophthalmologist were ignorance (190; 56.5%), cost (199; 59.2%), and restricted spatial access (228; 67.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the respondents chose an inappropriate eyecare pathway in the event of an eye disorder. The reported barriers to appropriate pathway selection are amenable to community-based eye health education, enhanced affordability, and even distribution of eyecare services. Integrating other alternative care pathways into orthodox eye care should be considered.

Ten-year rural experience of surgical eye removal in a primary care center south-eastern Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical removal of the eye usually reflects the pattern of severe ocular diseases and the level of development and socio-cultural dynamics in each specific setting. In Nigeria there have been several reports of causes of surgical eye removal in urban tertiary eye-care centers. This study determined the pattern of surgical eye removal in a rural primary eye-care facility (hospital) in South-eastern Nigeria. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for all patients who had surgical removal of the eye between January 2002 and January 2012 at the eye unit of the Presbyterian Joint Hospital, Ohaozara, Ebonyi State, South-eastern Nigeria. Data collected included age, sex, diagnosis and the eye affected. The diagnosis was further categorized into degenerative lesions, infections, trauma and neoplasm. The statistical package for social sciences was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-six eyes from 226 patients were surgically removed within the study period from 52.2% (n = 118) males and 47.8% (n = 108) females (ratio: 1.1:1; p = 0.5). The mean age of the cohort was 47.6 ± 20.2 years (range 2-82). Children aged 0-10 years were 8.4% while those over 60 years comprised 23.4% of the study population. The three most common causes of surgical removal of the eye were severe eye infections 60.6% (n = 137), degenerative eye diseases (staphyloma) 13.3% (n= 30) and severe eye injury 11.5% (n = 26). Retinoblastoma 6.2% (n = 14) was the commonest tumour type seen. CONCLUSION: The most common cause of surgical eye removal was severe ocular infections followed by degenerative eye diseases. More males than females had their eyes surgically removed. Over half of those who had their eyes removed were aged 51 to over 60 years. The commonest cause of eye removal among children was retinoblastoma. These causes are largely preventable and avoidable. With intensive eye health education and the provision of adequate eye-care facilities this trend can be reversed.

Comparing posture induced intraocular pressure variations in normal subjects and glaucoma patients.

AIM: To compare the posture-induced variations in intraocular pressure (IOP) between the primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and non-glaucomatous eyes. METHODS: A case-controlled age matched study was conducted in 55 successive newly diagnosed POAG and 56 non-glaucomatous patients seen in glaucoma clinic and general outpatient eye clinic in the Alex Ekwueme University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. The IOPs of eligible correspondents were measured with Perkin's hand-held tonometer in the sitting, supine flat and supine with pillow positions respectively. Measurement of IOP in each position was done after 15min of assuming such posture. RESULTS: The IOP difference between the sitting and supine flat position was significantly higher in the POAG than non-glaucoma subjects (7.68±2.08 vs 4.03±0.13 mm Hg, P<0.001). The IOP difference between the sitting and supine with pillow positions was 2.61±1.49 mm Hg for POAG and 1.44±0.70 mm Hg in non-glaucoma (P<0.001), while difference between supine flat and supine with pillow positions was 5.07±2.24 mm Hg in POAG and 2.59±0.66 mm Hg in non-glaucomatous patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Greater variations in posture induced IOP occurred in POAG patients than non-glaucomatous. The posture induced IOP variation is lowest in the sitting position and highest in the supine flat position. Evaluation of posture induced IOP changes may be an important tool in the management of glaucoma.