High rate of incidental glaucoma detection in New Zealand.

AIM: To investigate how glaucoma is initially detected in New Zealanders and what factors aroused disease suspicion.

METHODS: A postal survey of 500 randomly selected members of the Glaucoma New Zealand database was undertaken in 2012 to analyse factors relating to their initial presentation and diagnosis of glaucoma. Online surveys and telephone interviews were used to increase the response rate.

RESULTS: The overall response rate was 80% (376/468) of eligible participants. The sample had an average age of 76 years. Prior to diagnosis, 80% (290/361) of participants who responded to this question reported no suspicion of glaucoma. A positive family history for glaucoma was the most common reason (71%) for presenting to a health care professional with a suspicion of glaucoma (13% of total sample). After diagnosis, 95% (357/376) of respondents reported that they had informed family members of their diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that the majority of glaucoma was discovered through incidental findings. A positive family history was the most common risk factor prompting examination, knowledge about which appeared to increase dramatically post-diagnosis. These findings indicated that there was potential to educate the public about glaucoma in order to raise awareness and diagnose the disease earlier.