Glaucoma and Clinical Characteristics in Vietnamese Americans

Purpose: To assess the proportions of glaucoma types and clinical characteristics in Vietnamese Americans in a single-center, retrospective study.Methods: Medical charts of Vietnamese-American patients who visited a single private practice in Northern California from 1998–2007 were reviewed. The main outcome measures included the distribution and characteristics of glaucoma types, and clinical parameters associated with the presence of various glaucomas.Results: Data from 2247 patients aged 18–98 years were reviewed. Glaucoma was determined for 305 patients (13.6%). Among this group, 54.8% had primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), 26.9% had primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), 13.4% had mixed mechanism glaucoma (MMG), and 4.9% had secondary glaucoma. In the MMG group (41 patients), 27 patients who initially had open angles developed narrow angles and underwent laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) with a mean follow up of 6.4 years from the time of iridotomy. The other 13 patients had glaucoma progression with...