The study is the first to use an artificial intelligence algorithm to break down visual field loss in new cases of glaucoma among population groups in the United States.
Black people have a significantly higher risk of advanced vision loss after a new diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) compared to white people, according to findings from a New York Eye and Ear (NYEE) study. Infirmary of Mount Sinai. The findings, published in Translational vision Science and technologyshow that African heritage is an independent risk factor for this vision decline and should prompt more ocular screening for early detection of glaucoma.
This study is the first to use an artificial intelligence algorithm to break down visual field loss in incident glaucoma cases among population groups in the United States.
“This study has huge implications for glaucoma screening in blacks, who we already knew were a population at increased risk for glaucoma,” said Louis Pasquale, MD, FARVO, vice president of research in ophthalmology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and director of the NYEE Eye and Vision Research Institute, said in a statement. “Screening earlier in life could significantly increase the chances of detecting glaucoma and slowing its progression before it reaches one of the advanced patterns shown in our research.”
Investigators analyzed nearly 210,000 people from 3 population-based databases of nurses and healthcare professionals from the Nurses’ Health Study, enrolled between 1980 and 2018 or 1989 and 2019, and of the follow-up study of healthcare professionals, enrolled between 1986 and 2018.
The people were over 40 years old and their data was collected during comprehensive eye examinations. At the start of the study, none of the individuals had glaucoma at baseline and were followed up every two years. During this time, they provided up-to-date information on their lifestyle, diet and health status, including the diagnosis of glaucoma. In the study group, 1946 people developed glaucoma.
Investigators analyzed their first record of visual field loss using archetype analysis. The algorithm identified 14 archetypes: 4 that represented advanced loss patterns, 9 that represented early loss, and 1 that represented no visual field loss.
Black individuals made up 1.3% of the study, but still had an almost 2-fold higher risk of early visual field loss and a 6-fold higher risk for advanced field loss archetypes, compared to white individuals . Asian individuals, who accounted for approximately 1.2% of individuals, had an almost 2-fold higher risk of early visual field loss compared to white individuals, but did not have higher rates of advanced field loss patterns. visual.
Hispanic individuals made up 1.1% of the study and had no increased risk of archetypes compared to white individuals. The study showed that they were at risk of having an archetype showing initial loss near the center of their visual field.
The investigators said the next steps are to determine the specific risk factor for the different patterns of vision loss seen in people with glaucoma, which included genetic and environmental factors.
Reference
Black patients were found to be six times more likely to have advanced vision loss after a diagnosis of glaucoma than white patients. Press release. Eurek alert. July 25, 2022. Accessed July 25, 2022. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/959248
