Six-year incidence of angle-closure disease in a South Indian population: the Chennai Eye Disease Incidence Study.

PURPOSE: To estimate the 6-year incidence of primary angle-closure (PAC) disease among adult population aged 40 years and older from rural and urban south India.

DESIGN

Population-based longitudinal study.

METHODS

A complete ophthalmologic examination, including applanation tonometry, gonioscopy, biometry, stereoscopic fundus examination, and automated perimetry was performed at both baseline and at the 6-year follow up at base hospital. Incident PAC disease was defined as the development of PAC disease during the 6-year follow-up in phakic subjects without PAC disease at baseline. Diagnosis was made using the International Society Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology classification.

RESULTS

The data were analyzed for 3350 subjects (mean age, 56.4 ± 8.9 years; 1547 males, 1803 females) for a diagnosis of PAC disease at baseline and at follow-up examinations. The incidence of PAC disease was identified in 134 subjects (6-year incidence rate, 4.0%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 3.3-4.7). Among the 134 subjects, 88 subjects (2.6%, 95% CI, 2.1-3.2) were primary angle-closure suspects; 37 subjects (1.1%, 95% CI, 0.7-1.5) had primary angle closure, and 9 subjects (0.3%, 95% CI, 0.1-0.4) had primary angle-closure glaucoma. There was an inverse relationship between the incidence of PAC disease and the cataract surgery rates. Significant risk factors for PAC disease on logistic regressions were higher intraocular pressure, increased lens thickness, shorter axial length, shallow anterior chamber depth, anteriorly positioned lens, and hyperopia.

CONCLUSIONS

The average incidence of PAC disease per year was 0.7%. All biometric parameters were found to be strong predictors for the incidence of PAC disease.