Pseudoexfoliation associated with blindness, aging in Indian population

The association of pseudoexfoliation with blindness and aging has “public health implications for India,” according to a large cohort study.

Ravi Thomas and colleagues with the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India, reported on the prevalence of pseudoexfoliation and its association with ocular diseases in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 10,293 subjects from one urban and three rural areas were interviewed and underwent comprehensive ophthalmic evaluations. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy was used to diagnose pseudoexfoliation.

The overall prevalence of pseudoexfoliation was 0.69%, but the prevalence increased with increasing age. In people over 40 years of age the prevalence was 3.01%, and in people over 60 years of age the prevalence was 6.28%. In people whose work involved outdoor activities, the prevalence of pseudoexfoliation was significantly higher. Prevalence was also higher in people with nuclear cataracts.

Of the study subjects with pseudoexfoliation, 15 were blind, with an age-adjusted relative risk of 4.25. Both unilateral blindness and visual impairment were also more common with pseudoexfoliation, the researchers said.

The prevalence of pseudoexfoliation in those with glaucoma was 4.2%. The mean estimated IOP in those with pseudoexfoliation was 24 mm Hg, compared with 19 mm Hg in those without pseudoexfoliation.

The study is published in the April issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.