Background: Rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for the development of primary open-angle glaucoma, and even in normal tension glaucoma, the reduction of IOP may slow the progression of visual field loss. The longer the IOP stays elevated, the more the vision is affected. The main objective of this study is to observe relationship between visual acuity and IOP in suspected glaucomatous patients and to find any association of age and gender with the visual acuity.
Materials and methods: This observational study was conducted on 100 suspected glaucomatous patients. Visual acuity was recorded using Snellen's chart and IOP using GAT noncontact tonometry. Chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-22). Statistical significance was assessed on 5% level of significance.
Results: In the study, we observed 200 eyes of 100 patients, and it was found that 43 eyes had mild, 96 eyes had moderate, and 17 eyes had severe visual impairment. Visual impairment was found to be significantly associated with age, gender, and IOP. For right eye, the mean IOP showed a significant increase from 15.37 ± 2.91 mm Hg in normal to 23.13 ± 8.04 mm Hg in severe visual impairment. While for left eye, the mean IOP was increased from 16.42 ± 2.94 mm Hg among normal eyes to 17.08 ± 5.16 mm Hg among the severe visual impairment eyes.
Conclusion: Present study showed a statistically significant relationship between IOP and vision, that is, as IOP rises there was increase in severity of visual impairment from normal to severe. Hence, controlling IOP is important to prevent visual impairment.
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