Background Glaucoma in adults is a leading eye disease that causes blindness. Its management is life long and both surgical and medical treatment options are available to manage this ailment. Patients and their caregiver's cooperation in instilling timely eye drops is crucial for the effective reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) and by halting/delaying the progression of visual disabilities due to glaucoma. Periodic assessment and strict adherence to medical treatment has been found to be less than desired. It is influenced by the severity of the disease, the duration of the ailment, the number of eye drops being used, the literacy level, and the cost of medication. We present the adherence rate of topical medications and its determinants among adult Saudi glaucoma patients getting treated in 2017 in a tertiary eye center in Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundExtensive studies have revealed an increased risk of major adverse cardiac outcomes in patients with severe psoriasis. However, some studies show conflicting results.ObjectiveThis study was conducted to assess the CV risk factors in psoriasis patients, and compare it with non-psoriatic patients. In addition, we evaluated if psoriasis is an independent CV risk factor, if its severity can predict CV risk, and if systemic psoriasis treatments modify CV risk.MethodsThis was a case-control study in 200 participants -100 with psoriasis, and 100 with dermatitis who served as the control. The study was carried out from September 2015 to September 2016. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires, one each for both groups. Questions include body surface area, current psoriasis/dermatitis therapies, presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, smoking history, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), elevated cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) history.ResultsAnalyses of the associations between psoriasis and CV symptoms has demonstrated that psoriasis was associated with CAD (p<0.001) and hospitalizations (p<0.001) due to CAD. We found that the psoriasis group have the following association: Angina (p=0.005), hypertension (p=0.001), diabetes mellitus (p=0.016), hypercholesterolemia (p=0.015), and “CAD succeeding psoriasis (p=0.001)” (it assesses how many patients with psoriasis had CAD after they are diagnosed with psoriasis). Our study showed that there was no statistically significant risk of CVD in dermatitis patients (p=0.16). There was no association between severity of psoriasis and CV risk (p=0.07).ConclusionsThere is a higher CV risk prevalence among Saudi psoriatic patients and this confirms that psoriasis is an independent CV risk factor in this population.

PURPOSE: To present the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) for glaucoma management and their determinants among adult Saudi patients. METHODS: The study was conducted between January and June 2017. Glaucoma patients from the ophthalmology clinic were interviewed. Demographics and disease-related information were noted. The questionnaire included four K questions, seven A questions, and six P squestions. The correct response of questions were summed for K, A, and P, and the percentile was calculated. K and P scores were graded as excellent (more than >75%), good (51%–75%), poor (26%–50%), and very poor (≤25%). If A score was >50%, it was termed as positive. RESULTS: We interviewed 263 adult glaucoma patients. Their mean age was 61.6 ± 14.2 years. The excellent grade of knowledge about glaucoma and its management was 63 (24% [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.8–29.1]). Poor grade of knowledge was 95 (36.1% [95% CI 30.3–41.9]). The attitude toward glaucoma and its management was positive in 89 (33.8% [95% CI 28.1–39.6]). The practice to manage glaucoma was of excellent grade in 10 (3.8% [95% CI 1.5-6.1]). The overall excellent grade of KAP glaucoma patients was 17.9% (13.2–22.5). Good practice for glaucoma management was associated with a history of glaucoma surgery ( P < 0.001), longer duration of glaucoma ( P = 0.02), and young age ( P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Low KAP about glaucoma disease and medication among Saudi glaucoma patients is a matter of concern. Strategies are needed to improve the KAP of glaucoma patients.

Purpose: To report the profile of newly referred glaucoma patients to the largest tertiary eye care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: Medical records of all Saudi nationals who presented with glaucoma to the Glaucoma Clinics at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) as a first visit through the Eligibility Department, Screening Clinic or Emergency Department between March 2019 and August 2019 were reviewed. Patients underwent a comprehensive glaucoma workup and a detailed documentation of their demographics, clinical exam findings, type and stage of glaucoma at presentation along with previous and offered management. Upon presentation, the stage of glaucoma was compared between eyes with primary glaucoma including primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and eyes with Secondary glaucoma. Results: A total of 532 patients newly presented to KKESH during the study period. The median (interquartile [IQR] range) age of the patients was 63 (17) years, 47.9% of the patients were female. The majority of referred cases came from Riyadh (46.6%), Najran (9.8%) and AlQassim (9.4%) provinces. PACG was the most predominant form of glaucoma (30.5%), followed by POAG. Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma (PSXG) and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) were the most common subtypes among secondary glaucoma. Two out of every five eyes presenting with glaucoma (41.5%) had severe disease. Conclusion: In this tertiary setting, PACG was the most commonly encountered glaucoma. A significant proportion of the patients, particularly those with POAG (“the silent thief of sight”) presented with an advanced disease. To limit the irreversible visual loss and socio-economic burden of glaucoma, a large community-based study is required to look into the epidemiology of glaucoma among all Saudi provinces followed by the implementation of a national screening and intervention program.