The Prevalence Of Glaucoma In Third World Versus First World Countries.

Background: Glaucoma is a complicated disease with much controversy over diagnosis and treatment. Risk factors include intraocular pressure, age, optic nerve head cupping, family history, corneal thickness, health status and race. Undiagnosed or untreated glaucoma can lead to optic nerve damage, visual field loss, and ultimately can even lead to total blindness.
Methods: A literature search was performed in attempts to compile data that would estimate glaucoma prevalence both in third world andfirst world countries. The data was compiled and statistical analysis was performed to determine if there is any significant difference in the prevalence of glaucoma in first world and third world countries. In addition, other factors such as age, race, and gender were also analyzed.
Results: The overall average prevalence of glaucoma in third world countries was found to be 6.64% and the overall average prevalence of glaucoma in first world countries was 2.21%. Statistical analysis comparing third world data versus first world data shows a highly statistically significant difference (P=O.0077).
Conclusions: The difference between glaucoma prevalence in first world and third world countries has been stated and still is statistically significant, but it remains unclear what the defining factor(s) between the two groups is/are. Certainly race, social-economic status, general health status and access to medical care are the commonly mentioned and studied ones.