Purpose: To investigate the level of knowledge among patients with glaucoma about their disease and to compare this group with the number of patients with suspected hypertension or diabetes who know about their disease. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted during the first stage of the Glaucoma Project in 1999 in the municipality of Piraquara, PR, where the local population older than 40 years was submitted to ophthalmologic examination (tonometry and fundoscopy), measurement of arterial pressure, and blood glucose test. Results: A total of 922 individuals were examined. Two hundred and six patients were screened as suspected diabetics; of these, 42.72% (n=88) knew about their disease. We detected 625 patients with suspected hypertension, 60.64% of whom (n=379) declared that they were hypertensive. A hundred and fifty pacients were screened as suspected open angle glaucoma; of these, only 3.33% (n=5) knew about their disease and 96.67% (n=145) were not aware of their disease. Conclusion: The level of knowledge of patients with a diagnosis of glaucoma is extremely low compared to the number of patients with suspected arterial hypertension or diabetes.
Hypertension; Diabetes mellitus; Glaucoma; Evaluation studies; Adult