Abstract
Abstract: :
Objective: The incidences of acute angle–closure glaucoma (AACG) during a period of two years in Okinawa Prefecture were previously reported. This article reports on a subsequently conducted additional investigation. Subjects and Methods: The investigation was made on patients who developed AACG in Okinawa Prefecture during a period of seven years between January ? 1996 and December 2002. Questionnaires were sent to institutions to investigate the patients' dates of medical examinations, genders, and ages. Based on the results, differences between the genders, monthly incidences, age distribution, and year–specific incidences were correctively calculated and then studied in comparison with the results obtained in other prefectures. Results: The response rate of questionnaires was 51%. The probable total of patients with AACG during the 7–year period was 1,112 consisting of 311 males (28%) and 801 females (72%). The annual mean number of patients who developed AACG was 159 at an incidence of 1.2 X 10–4 (as calculated from the population composition shown in the national census report for 2000). The monthly incidences stayed at a similar level without any significant difference. The age distribution showed that both male and female patients increased in number starting in fifties with the peak marked in sixties. Considering the fact that the peak comes in seventies in other prefectures, the results obtained in Okinawa Prefecture suggested that AACG developed at younger ages. The incidences obtained from correctively calculating the number of eyes with AACG were higher in any age group than those obtained in other prefectures. The incidences of AACG in Okinawa Prefecture were highest in each seventies of male and female patients. The age group with the highest gender ratio and incidence showed similar results to those reported on patients with AACG in other prefectures. Discussion: The ocular morphology of residents in Okinawa Prefecture is considered as one of the factors for the development of AACG at younger ages than in other prefectures. Preventive measures for the development of AACG must be further studied in Okinawa Prefecture where the incidences of AACG are higher than in other prefectures.
Keywords: anterior chamber • intraocular pressure