Clinical Characteristics of Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome and Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma Patients: A Retrospective Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Pseudoexfoliation (PEX) is a systemic disease characterised by the accumulation of dandruff-like fluffy deposits of fibrillar granular material. It is the most common cause of secondary open angle glaucoma. Pseudoexfoliation Glaucoma (PXG) is typically associated with rapid visual field loss, greater severity of optic neuropathy and pressure spikes.

Aim: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome (PXS) and PXG in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was done on a total of 40 patients with 78 eyes, at Sitapur Eye Hospital, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The authors reviewed the medical records database to identify all patients aged 35 years or older with PXG or PXS who attended the outpatient clinic between January 1, 2020 and January 31, 2021. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at Sitapur Eye Hospital, Sitapur. Continuous variables were calculated by Mann-Whitney U test student’s t-test and qualitative variables using the chi square test. The p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: A total of 40 patients with 78 eyes were diagnosed as having PXG or PXS. The mean age of study patients was 66.12±11.63 years. The male to female ratio was 2.64:1. The average Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP), Cup:Disc ratio was more in the patients having PXG (p<0.001) as compared to PXS. The PEX at the pupillary margin and pupillary ruff atrophy was more in PXG. The bilateral involvement of disease was observed in most of the patients.

Conclusion: The spectrum of PEX includes a detailed ocular and systemic examination. Dilated anterior segment examination should be emphasised in routine practice to prevent missed diagnosis of early PEX patients, thus, resulting in decreased glaucomatous damage.