Glaucoma awareness and knowledge among adults in woliso town, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and it is next to cataract as common cause of blindness [1-4]. The global prevalence of glaucoma for population aged 40–80 years is 3.5%. The magnitude of glaucoma is expected to keep increasing with the world population growth and increasing number of ageing people [5]. Ninety percent of affected people in the developing countries and 50% in developed world do not know that they have the disease [6]. In Sub-Saharan Africa glaucoma is more prevalent and has been considered as a major public health issue for the region [7,8]. Up to 50% of glaucoma patients are already blind at least in one eye at presentation in Africa including Ethiopia [7,9].