Glaucoma in the developing world

doi:10.1136/bmj.39016.626771.80

BMJ 2006;333:932 (4 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39016.626771.80

Editorial

Glaucoma in the developing world

The balance between benefits and harms of surgery varies indifferent settings

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

People living in developing countries have the highest riskof developing blindness from glaucoma.^{1 2} In east Asia, angleclosure glaucoma predominates, whereas in Africa, the Indiansubcontinent, and in Hispanic populations open angle forms aremore common.^{1 3} Treatments vary depending on the type of glaucomaand the setting. In this week's BMJ a trial in South Africaby Murdoch's group shows that trabeculectomy augmented with $beta$ radiation significantly increases the success rate of surgerycompared with surgery alone.⁴ However, people receiving $beta$ radiationalso had a higher risk of operable cataract. Balancing the benefitsof surgery with the risk of cataract formation is dependenton the setting in which glaucoma occurs.

Access to eye care is important, and as most ophthalmology servicesare in urban centres people often have to travel far.^{5 6} InGhana, for example, people in rural areas present later in thecourse of disease and, therefore, with more . . . [Full text of this article]

Mahesh Ramchandani, consultant ophthalmologist

Eye Unit, Royal Bournemouth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Bournemouth, Dorset BH7 7DW
(Mahesh.Ramchandani@rbch.nhs.uk)

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Effect of $beta$ radiation on success of glaucoma drainage surgery in South Africa: randomised controlled trial: James F Kirwan, Simon Cousens, Lynette Venter, Colin Cook, Andries Stulting, Paul Roux, and Ian Murdoch
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