Study of older adults shows most with glaucoma unaware of it

A recent study of 70-year-olds in Sweden found that more than half who were diagnosed with glaucoma were unaware they had the disease.

Glaucoma is a common eye disease that damages the optic nerve, affecting the field of vision. In the most serious cases, it can lead to blindness.

For the study, researchers from the University of Gothenburg surveyed nearly 1,200 of the city’s residents who were born in 1944 to learn about their eye health and family history of glaucoma. Eye specialists also examined 560 of the participants.

Of the 27 participants diagnosed with the disease after examination (4.8% of the study group), 15 were unaware they had it. Knowing they have glaucoma, the researchers said, allowed the patients to begin treatment regimens of daily eye drops to lower pressure in the eye and slow damage to the optic nerve.

Although they described their overall quality of life as good, participants with the disease said it affected their vision-related quality of life – including difficulty climbing stairs, seeing curbs in the evening and noticing things in their peripheral vision.

“This means that people with glaucoma may avoid visiting others, or going to restaurants or parties, and instead stay at home,” said lead study author Lena Havstam Johansson, a doctoral student at the university and a specialist nurse. “They lose their independence and may feel frustrated about it.”

The study also confirms a hereditary link, as the participants diagnosed with glaucoma were more likely to have a close relative with the same diagnosis.

The study was published online in the journal Acta Ophtalmologica.