In our study, we could not test the hypothesis of an association
between caffeine consumption and ES; however, we evaluated EG/EGS
as an outcome, which is an outcome of public health importance. We
defined EG/EGS as the presence of ES as documented in the records
and at least one of the following occurring in the eye demonstrating
exfoliation material on slit lamp examination: (1) a history of IOP >21
mm Hg, (2) a cup:disc ratio of ‡0.6, or (3) VF loss consistent with
glaucoma on at least one reliable test. Patients with ES who did not
meet these criteria were excluded from analysis because our case
identification method was initiated with a questionnaire regarding
receiving a glaucoma diagnosis and not on the basis of reporting
specific ophthalmic signs