Kavitha K
BACKGROUND Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is an age-related systemic syndrome. Open angle glaucoma is more common in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. The disease may be bilateral and asymmetric. The clinically uninvolved eye of unilateral cases has a risk of developing glaucoma. About 7.67% of patients with pseudoexfoliation syndrome are ultimately diagnosed to have glaucoma. Glaucomatous optic nerve head changes and visual field damage also tend to be greater in patients with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma than in patients with primary open angle. Glaucoma, suggesting an intrinsic vulnerability of the optic nerve head in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ours was a non-randomized cross-sectional observational study conducted over a period of one year in 200 eyes of 100 patients. Diagnostic criteria include presence of pseudoexfoliation material on the pupillary border and /or the lens. RESULTS Out of 100 patients with pseudoexfoliation, 55 were males and 45 were females. In both unilateral and bilateral pseudoexfoliation groups, there was a mild male preponderance and most of the patients were agricultural workers. Of these 100 patients, 53 had bilateral pseudoexfoliation and 47 had unilateral PXF. Thus, totally 153 eyes of 100 patients had pseudoexfoliation. Among them 4 patients were detected to have glaucoma, 1 had bilateral and 3 patients had unilateral glaucoma. CONCLUSION Bilateral pseudoexfoliation was more common than unilateral pseudoexfoliation. PES, though a disease of the elderly, can also occur in < 50 years??? age group. There is a risk of developing glaucoma in pseudoexfoliation patients. Open angle glaucoma is more common in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. The clinically uninvolved eye of unilateral cases has a risk of developing glaucoma.
