Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness affecting an estimated 80 million people worldwide. Although primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) affects approximately three times as many people globally as does PACG primary angle-closure glaucoma (60 million versus 20 million), the numbers of people blinded by POAG (5.9 million) and PACG (5.3 million) are roughly equal. Over 1 million people in Europe and 160,000 people in the UK have PACG causing visual field loss. Although Asian people are at higher risk of this condition, these figures relate to the white/Caucasian population. PACG causes a higher rate of severe visual loss than does POAG. The greater propensity of PACG to cause serious loss of vision makes clinicians justifiably cautious in managing this condition and has prompted many to consider preventive treatment. This guideline covers primary angle-closure only and specifically excludes secondary disease such as that resulting from uveitis or neovascularization. It has been written primarily for clinicians involved in eye care in the community and in hospital eye services and aims to inform clinicians on 4 main points
1. What is the accuracy of current diagnostic tests
2. What is the effectiveness of different interventions
3. When to refer to hospital eye services
4. When to discharge to community
Management of Angle Closure Glaucoma Exec Summary
Management of Angle Closure Glaucoma Full Guideline and Evidence Base