Determinants of Angle Closure in Older Singaporeans

Abstract

Primary angle-closure (AC) glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, particularly in Asia.^1-3 It is responsible for most bilateral glaucoma blindness in Mongolia,⁴ Singapore,⁵ China,^6,7 and India.^8-11 Risk factors for primary AC glaucoma have been previously studied and include a shallow anterior chamber depth (ACD) and other ocular biometric characteristics such as short axial length (AL).^12-15 However, the main mechanism for AC is unclear and may vary among different racial/ethnic groups in Asia. For example, in Mongolia the main underlying mechanism for AC seems to be pupil block,¹⁶ and the role of non–pupil block AC in other Asians is debatable.^17-19