Purpose
Decreased ocular perfusion pressure and increased intraocular pressure are well-known risk factors that cause glaucoma and its progression. Recent studies have shown that hemodialysis decreases ocular perfusion pressure and increases intraocular pressure. The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the prevalence of hemodialysis in patients with glaucoma to those with cataracts.
Methods
Methods: Clinical Looking Glass (CLG) is an electronic medical record that captures all clinical interactions at Montefiore Medical Center. CLG was used to identify, via CPT code and ICD-9 codes, patients who have had hemodialysis and glaucoma, glaucoma only, hemodialysis and cataracts, and cataracts only. The prevalence of glaucoma or cataract patients on hemodialysis was then calculated. Demographic data, including age, gender, and race, were also included in our analysis.
Results
Results: We identified 5,942 patients with a diagnosis of open angle glaucoma and 19,951 patients with a diagnosis of age related cataracts at our eye center. Three percent of the glaucoma patients were found to be on hemodialysis, versus 1.9% of patients with cataracts. The difference between those two cohorts was statistically significant (p < 0.00000001). More African Americans were identified in the glaucoma group than the cataract group (60% in the glaucoma group vs. 46% in the cataract group).
Conclusions
Conclusions: In this urban cross-sectional study, we have shown that the prevalence of hemodialysis in glaucoma patients was 3%. There is a statistically significant higher prevalence of hemodialysis in patients with glaucoma when compared to patients with cataracts. Since hemodialysis may cause changes in ocular perfusion pressure and intraocular pressure that can lead to glaucoma progression, eye care providers may need to be vigilant in monitoring for glaucoma progression in those patients who are undergoing hemodialysis.
Keywords: 463 clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence