Geographical Distribution of Pseudoexfoliation in and around Mysore District

Introduction: Pseudoexfoliation syndrome is a condition in which exfoliative material is deposited on the iris, ciliary region and capsule of the lens. This material is evidence of a widespread degenerative change in the anterior uvea, particularly the ciliary region. Patients with pseudo exfoliation of the lens capsule have a high chance of developing glaucoma. Materials and Methods: The study group comprised of 100 patients diagnosed as pseudoexfoliation cataract. A detailed history of each patient, systemic and comprehensive ophthalmic examination was done. Pseudoexfoliation syndrome and cataract were diagnosed by slit lamp examination. Statistical analysis: All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests for proportion. Results: In our study, we found that the majority of the male patients (45%) with pseudoexfoliative cataract were in the age group of 66-75 years (P value 0.001). Bilaterality increases with age and more in age group of >65 years (P value was 0.001). Pseudoexfoliation cataract was more prevalent among people with low socioeconomic status. In this study, of 100 patients, 70 (70%) patients had intraocular pressure (IOP) in the range of 10-19 mm Hg 25 (25%) patients in the range of 20-29 mm Hg and 5 (5%) patients had IOP more than 30 mm Hg. Conclusion: In this study, we conclude that the pseudoexfoliative cataract is more common in male patients of low socioeconomic status residing in dry areas. To begin with pseudoexfoliation is initially unilateral, bilaterality increases after the age of 65 years. Pseudoexfoliation results in the development of secondary glaucoma due to deposition of exfoliative material in the trabecular meshwork.