Ophthalmologic evaluation in geriatric patients: Assessment of consistency between patients' complaints and ocular diagnoses.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the consistency between patients' complaints and their eye diseases.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.

METHODS: RESULTS: The frequencies of at least one newly diagnosed visually important ocular disease were 25.9%, 27.0%, and 45.3% in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (p<0.001). The same frequencies were significantly higher in patients >75 years of age compared with the younger group (59.1% vs. 22.0%, p<0.001). Although these values were statistically significant in patients ≤75 years of age (p<0.001), they were insignificant in patients >75 years of age according to type of complaints (p=0.773). Patients with diabetes mellitus exhibited significantly lower vision, higher rate of visually important ocular diseases, and higher intraocular pressure readings than patients without diabetes mellitus (p=0.009, 0.015, and 0.002, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS: Visually important ocular diseases were diagnosed approximately in a quarter of patients who had no complaints about decrease in vision and in more than half of the oldest geriatric patients (>75years) irrespective of the type of complaints.