Glaucoma in Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

A retrospective study was carried out, of 48 patients with glaucoma, who presented over a 2 year period at Port Moresby General Hospital. No cases of chronic open angle glaucoma or acute angle closure glaucoma with shallow anterior chamber were found in the 37 Papua New Guinean patients. Trauma was the most common cause of glaucoma in this group particularly in males. Glaucoma also occurred in association with the exfoliative syndrome and secondary to anterior uveitis. All non-Papuan New Guineans retained some vision in both eyes while 23 of the Papua New Guineans had no perception of light in one eye, which is a reflection of the type of glaucoma present in this group, and their failure to obtain early medical care.