Black People More Likely to Lose Eyesight From Glaucoma
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Black people are six times more likely than non-Hispanic white people to lose significant eyesight from glaucoma, even when they have similar access to healthcare, researchers say. Glaucoma also starts earlier on average in the lives of Black people than in the lives of non-Hispanic white people, and so screening for glaucoma in Black people should be more frequent, said Jae Hee Kang, ScD, an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
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@ayesha Participants were older than age 40, none had glaucoma at baseline, and their data was collected during comprehensive eye exams. In biennial follow-ups, participants updated information on their lifestyle, diet, and medical status, including glaucoma diagnosis. When the participants reported a glaucoma diagnosis, the researchers asked permission for their medical records or a glaucoma questionnaire, including all visual field data. They zeroed in on 2564 eyes in 1946 people with incident primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).