Prevalence and clinical characteristics of glaucoma in adult Chinese: a population-based study in Liwan District, Guangzhou.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence and mechanism of glaucoma in adults living in an urban area of southern China.

METHODS: Random clustering sampling was used to identify adults aged 50 years and over in Liwan District, Guangzhou. Glaucoma was diagnosed with the ISGEO (International Society of Geographical and Epidemiological Ophthalmology) classification scheme. All subjects underwent gonioscopy.

RESULTS: In the study, 1504 subjects (75.3% participation rate) were examined, with a crude prevalence of all glaucoma of 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8%-4.8%). Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was found in 2.1% (95% CI, 1.4%-2.8%) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) in 1.5% (95% CI, 0.8%-2.1%). The prevalence of all glaucoma was significantly higher in older people and men.

CONCLUSIONS: POAG was more common than PACG in this southern Chinese population, with rates similar to those reported in Chinese Singaporeans. The age-adjusted rate of POAG was similar to that found in European-derived populations, but PACG was more common among Chinese, indicating that there is a large burden of glaucoma in the Chinese people.