Knowledge treatment compliance and prevalence of known risk factors among patients attending glaucoma clinics at Eye Hospital Colombo

Abstract

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. Blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible. To describe the socio demographic characteristics , assess the knowledge of glaucoma , treatment compliance and proportion with known risk factors among patients attending glaucoma clinics at Eye Hospital. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out at glaucoma clinics in Eye Hospital Colombo during the period August - November 2008. Diagnosed glaucoma patients attending glaucoma clinics of Eye Hospital Colombo were selected for the study. An interviewer administered pre tested questionnaire and a data extraction form were used for data collection interviewers. Among the 431 glaucoma patients a majority were females 57.5 percent ( n 60 years were 40.2 percent ( n = 173), 63 percent ( n=272) had O/L education 51 percent ( n=251) had Rs.10000 monthly income. Among patients 84.8 percent (n=370) knew the name of the disease, while 38.7 percent ( n=167) named as glaucoma, 45.5 percent ( n=196) referred as eye pressure.