TY - JOUR
T1 - Eradicating primary congenital glaucoma from Saudi Arabia
T2 - The case for a national screening program
AU - Malik, Rizwan
AU - Khandekar, Rajiv
AU - Boodhna, Trishal
AU - Rahbeeni, Zuhair
AU - Al Towerki, Abdul Elah
AU - Edward, Deepak P.
AU - Abu-Amero, Khaled
PY - 2017
Y1 - 2017
N2 - The prevalence of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in Saudi Arabia is high and the condition is a cause of childhood blindness in the country. Children often present with severe disease, requiring multiple procedures and a lifetime of medical care. The social and economic burden of the condition is substantial. Presently, the mainstay of management is early diagnosis and treatment of PCG. Premarital screening, especially in recessive diseases, such as PCG can be immensely useful by detecting the presence of a defect in the causative gene, followed by genetic counseling to potential couples that will lead to eradication of the disease in future generations. The introduction of a national screening program similar to the one already functioning for thalassemia, could potentially eliminate childhood blindness from PCG in Saudi Arabia and is likely to prove cost-effective.
AB - The prevalence of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) in Saudi Arabia is high and the condition is a cause of childhood blindness in the country. Children often present with severe disease, requiring multiple procedures and a lifetime of medical care. The social and economic burden of the condition is substantial. Presently, the mainstay of management is early diagnosis and treatment of PCG. Premarital screening, especially in recessive diseases, such as PCG can be immensely useful by detecting the presence of a defect in the causative gene, followed by genetic counseling to potential couples that will lead to eradication of the disease in future generations. The introduction of a national screening program similar to the one already functioning for thalassemia, could potentially eliminate childhood blindness from PCG in Saudi Arabia and is likely to prove cost-effective.
KW - Childhood blindness
KW - Disease prevention
KW - Genetic screening
KW - Primary congenital glaucoma
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U2 - 10.1016/j.sjopt.2017.08.002
DO - 10.1016/j.sjopt.2017.08.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 29234227
AN - SCOPUS:85028621828
SN - 1319-4534
JO - Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology
JF - Saudi Journal of Ophthalmology
ER -