TY - JOUR
T1 - Glaucoma and disability
T2 - Which tasks are affected, and at what stage of disease?
AU - Ramulu, Pradeep
PY - 2009/3
Y1 - 2009/3
N2 - Purpose of review To summarize recent work from clinical and epidemiological studies that describe how, and at what stage, glaucoma affects the performance of important vision-related activities. Recent findings Difficulties with the extremes of lighting are the most frequent complaint in glaucoma. Individuals with bilateral glaucoma also self-report difficulty with a broad array of tasks, including reading, walking, and driving. Bilateral glaucoma is associated with driving cessation and limitation, bumping into objects, slower walking, and falls. Some, but not all, studies also demonstrate higher accident rates in glaucoma. Measurable effects on reading speed have only been observed with field damage severe enough to affect binocular central acuity. Summary Glaucoma with bilateral visual field loss is associated with increased symptoms and a measurable decline in mobility and driving. Further work is necessary to establish whether unilateral glaucoma has a significant impact on patients, to determine whether reading difficulty is common in patients with bilateral glaucoma, and to establish the effects of lighting conditions on task performance in glaucoma.
AB - Purpose of review To summarize recent work from clinical and epidemiological studies that describe how, and at what stage, glaucoma affects the performance of important vision-related activities. Recent findings Difficulties with the extremes of lighting are the most frequent complaint in glaucoma. Individuals with bilateral glaucoma also self-report difficulty with a broad array of tasks, including reading, walking, and driving. Bilateral glaucoma is associated with driving cessation and limitation, bumping into objects, slower walking, and falls. Some, but not all, studies also demonstrate higher accident rates in glaucoma. Measurable effects on reading speed have only been observed with field damage severe enough to affect binocular central acuity. Summary Glaucoma with bilateral visual field loss is associated with increased symptoms and a measurable decline in mobility and driving. Further work is necessary to establish whether unilateral glaucoma has a significant impact on patients, to determine whether reading difficulty is common in patients with bilateral glaucoma, and to establish the effects of lighting conditions on task performance in glaucoma.
KW - Disability
KW - Driving
KW - Glaucoma
KW - Mobility
KW - Quality of life
KW - Reading
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U2 - 10.1097/ICU.0b013e32832401a9
DO - 10.1097/ICU.0b013e32832401a9
M3 - Review article
C2 - 19240541
AN - SCOPUS:62849106706
SN - 1040-8738
VL - 20
SP - 92
EP - 98
JO - Current opinion in ophthalmology
JF - Current opinion in ophthalmology
IS - 2
ER -