Prevalence of Glaucoma amongst Diabetic Patients Attending a Tertiary Health Care in North Eastern India

Introduction: Glaucoma and the angiopathy of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) constitute a significant amount of blinding diseases of human beings. DM has been suggested as risk factors for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) and Neovascular Glaucoma (NVG). Thus, with the alarming rise in Diabetes prevalence globally; the establishment of DM as a major risk factor for POAG and NVG and the matter of blindness following glaucoma and its management are of grave concern. Methods: The present study was conducted on 1200 diabetic patients between 15 - 75 years of age attending the Endocrinology and Ophthalmology departments. Systemic, routine ophthalmic examination and laboratory investigations were done in all cases. Applanation tonometry, slit lamp biomicrocopy, gonioscopy and disc evaluation using Goldman 3 -mirror lens, +90 D lens and visual field examination (using Humphrey visual field analyzer utilizing SITA standard strategy program 30-2) was performed. Results and Discussions: Among 1200 patients, POAG was found in 7.0% (n=84), Ocular hypertension (OHT) in 3.33% (n=40) and NVG in 2.33% (n=28). The prevalence of POAG in this study was nearly 5-6 times higher than that as seen in the general population. All the patients with NVG had PDR. Pupillary margin neovascularization preceded anterior chamber angle neovascularization in all these patients. POAG was seen to be more prevalent amongst OHA treated diabetics (8.25%), neovascular glaucoma amongst insulin treated (3.18%) and ocular hypertension showed no relationship to treatment pattern. Conclusion: POAG was found to be more prevalent amongst patients suffering from diabetes mellitus as compared to the general population and NVG was found in a significant proportion of diabetics with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.