Glaucoma Case Studies

Glaucoma is an ocular disease which destroys the optic nerves in the eye due to an increase in the intraocular pressure. This disease is the second most common cause of blindness in the world and Canada (Noertjojo et al. 2006), and the most prevalent form of the disease is Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG). It is estimated that by 2020, there will be almost 80 million people in the world with both primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and angle closure glaucoma (ACG) with POAG more prevalent. Similarly, bilateral blindness as a result of glaucoma is projected to be greater than 11 million by 2020 (Cook and Foster 2012). POAG is a slow and progressive eye disease, asymptomatic in its early stages and regarded as a silent condition which sneaks-up and steals the sight of an individual if not detected and managed promptly.
Studies show that the prevalence of undetected glaucoma in the population of Toronto appears to be higher than estimates of glaucoma prevalence in other Western countries (Anraku et al. 2011). Similarly, the highest prevalence of open-angle glaucoma was observed among the African community while the highest prevalence of angle-closure glaucoma occurred in the Inuit community (Cook and Foster 2012). However, despite the high risk in a black community in Toronto, glaucoma …show more content…
The study aims to investigate the potential of health promotion via eHealth (mobile) in increasing glaucoma awareness, improve treatment compliance and changing health - seeking behavior among adults in a disadvantaged population in Saskatoon. In addition, the study aims to provide education on the importance of regular eye examination in order to promote early detection and management of glaucoma via eHealth and subsequently determine how effective eHealth tools are in achieving these objectives and support healthy living in