Increasing healthcare costs: can we influence the costs of glaucoma care?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Despite a decrease in real average growth rates per capita since 2009, healthcare costs continue to rise worldwide. Numerous patient-related and doctor-related factors have contributed to this rise. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and requires chronic, usually lifelong treatment. As with other chronic diseases, the adherence to prescribed treatment is often low and maybe influenced by the cost of the therapy. The purpose of this review is to seek potential solutions to best control the escalating costs of glaucoma care. RECENT FINDINGS The studies we selected for this review can be divided into four different categories: costs of diagnostic tests; costs of direct comparisons between drugs or laser and conventional surgery; patient-related factors (such as adherence); and general aspects regarding costs: theoretical models and calculations. SUMMARY It is challenging to find reliable studies concerning this subject matter. As patients are under the umbrellas of variously organized healthcare systems which span different cultures, the costs between countries are difficult to compare. However, one common aspect to lower costs in glaucoma care is to improve patient adherence. Theoretical models with actual patient studies could enable cost reductions by comparing multiple diagnostic and therapeutic scenarios. VIDEO ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/COOP/A22

Repeatability of nerve fiber layer thickness measurements in patients with glaucoma and without glaucoma using spectral-domain and time-domain OCT

Background: The aim of this work is to assess the repeatability of spectral-domain-OCT (SD-OCT) retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) thickness measurements in a non-glaucoma group and patients with glaucoma and to compare these results to conventional time-domain-OCT (TD-OCT). Methods: In a prospective, comparative, observational case-control study, 50 eyes of 25 non-glaucoma and 22 eyes of 11 patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) were included. SD-OCT and TD-OCT circle scans were centered on the optic disc. In each eye, OCT scans were performed three times by two independent observers. RNFL thickness was measured in four quadrants around the optic disc. In addition, the overall mean RNFL thickness was assessed. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (COV) were calculated. Inter-observer and inter-OCT repeatability was visualized by using Bland-Altman analysis. Results: Intra-observer repeatability for TD- OCT was good with an ICCmean RNFL thickness of 0.939 in non-glaucomas and 0.980 in glaucomatous eyes. For SD-OCT, intra-observer repeatability was higher with an ICC of 0.989 for non-glaucomas and 0.997 for glaucomatous eyes. COVs for TD-OCT ranged from 2.9-7.7% in non-glaucomas and from 6.0-13.3% in glaucoma patients. COVs for SD-OCT ranged from 0.3-1% in non-glaucomas and from 0.9-2.3% in glaucomatous eyes. COVs were influenced by various factors. In the glaucoma group, COVs were significantly higher (p < 0.001) compared to the non-glaucoma group. COVs increased by a mean of 5.1% when TD-OCT was used instead of SD-OCT (p < 0.001). Conclusions: SD-OCT RNFL thickness measurements in healthy volunteers and glaucoma patients showed good intra- and inter-observer repeatability. Especially in glaucomatous eyes, repeatability of SD-OCT was superior to TD-OC

Selektive Lasertrabekuloplastik bei Patienten unter maximaler Lokaltherapie: eine retrospektive Analyse

Zusammenfassung: Hintergrund: Hauptziel der Glaukomtherapie ist nach wie vor die erfolgreiche Augendrucksenkung. Ziel dieser retrospektiven Studie war es, die Wirksamkeit der selektiven Lasertrabekuloplastik (SLT) bei Patienten unter maximaler Augendruck senkender Therapie zu untersuchen. Besonderes Augenmerk wurde in der Analyse darauf gelegt, ob präoperativ bekannte Faktoren einen Einfluss auf den IOD-senkenden Effekt haben. Material und Methode: Inkludiert wurden Patienten mit der Diagnose einer okulären Hypertension oder eines Offenwinkelglaukoms (primäres Offenwinkelglaukom, Pseudoexfoliationsglaukom, Pigmentdispersionsglaukom und Normaldruckglaukom), die im Zeitraum von 3/2008 bis 12/2010 aufgrund unzureichender Drucksenkung unter maximaler Lokaltherapie einer SLT unterzogen wurden und die einen Nachbeobachtungszeitraum von mindestens 3Monaten hatten. Die Datenanalyse erfolgte präoperativ, sowie einen Tag, einen Monat und drei Monate nach SLT und dann dreimonatlich bis zu 2,5 Jahre. Hauptmessparameter waren Ausmaß der IOD-Senkung sowie Erfolgsraten (³ 20% Augendruck-Senkung). Eine Re-SLT wurde nicht als Misserfolg gewertet. Resultate: Einhunderteinunddreißig Augen von 98 Patienten (58 Frauen, mittleres Alter 71,6 ± 11,2 Jahre, mittlerer Nachbeobachtungszeitraum 1,05 ± 0,67 Jahre) wurden inkludiert. Mittlerer Augendruck vor SLT war 19,6 ± 4,9mmHg. Bis 1,75 Jahre nach SLT war der Augendruck stets signifikant reduziert (16,6 ± 3,6; p = 0,044). Bis 2 Jahre nach SLT hatten Patienten mit höherem Ausgangs-Augendruck eine signifikant stärkere Drucksenkung (R2  = 0,358; p = 0,009). Es gab keinen signifikanten Unterschied in der Überlebensanalyse sowohl zwischen phaken bzw. pseudophaken Patienten als auch zwischen Patienten mit bzw. ohne Prostaglandintherapie (p = 0,671 und p = 0,994). Zwölf Augen hatten eine zweite SLT (mittlere Zeit bis zur Re-SLT 1,03 ± 0,55 Jahre). Fünfzehn Augen benötigten eine weitere Augendruck senkende Operation (mittlere Zeit bis zum Versagen der SLT 0,84 ± 0,52 Jahre). Schlussfolgerung: SLT kann auch bei Patienten unter maximaler Lokaltherapie noch eine signifikante Drucksenkung bewirken, wobei das Ausmaß der Drucksenkung über die Zeit abnimmt. Die Augendruck senkende Wirkung ist bei Patienten mit höherem präoperativen Augendruck stärker ausgepräg

Outcome of Pediatric Cataract Surgeries in a Tertiary Center in Switzerland

Purpose. To determine and to analyze the outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. Methods. A retrospective chart review of individuals aged up to 10 years who underwent cataract surgery between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2014, at the UniversityHospital Zurich, Switzerland. Results. 63 children (94 affected eyes) with bilateral (68/94) or unilateral (26/94) cataract were identified. Surgery was performed at a median age of 1.5 months (IQR: 1.3–2.6 months) for the aphakic group (45/94) and of 50.7 months (IQR: 38.0–78.4 months) for the IOL group (49/94). At the last follow-up visit (median 31.1 months, IQR: 18.4–50.2 months), visual acuity was better in bilateral than in unilateral cataract cases. Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) was diagnosed in 30.9% of eyes without a significant difference in the IOL and aphakic groups (p=0.12). Aphakic glaucoma was diagnosed in 12/45 eyes at a median of 6.8 months (IQR 2.1–13.3 months) after surgery. Microcornea (5/12) and anterior segment anomalies (8/12) were associated with glaucoma development (p<0.05). Conclusion. Laterality and timing of surgery influence the outcome of pediatric cataract surgery. PCO was the most frequent postoperative complication. Aphakic glaucoma is often associated with ocular developmental abnormalities and a poor visual outcome

Influence of Cost of Care and Adherence in Glaucoma Management: An Update

The costs for glaucoma care are rising worldwide. The main reason is the increase of life expectancy and the increasing variety of diagnostic tests and therapeutically options by implants and devices. How can we influence the increase in costs? Does a relationship exist between the rising costs and the behavior of patients especially in regard to adherence of patients to the prescribed therapy? Are there ways to improve adherence? The costs of a disease can be estimated by adding the direct costs and the indirect costs deriving from the disease. Many studies have been looking at the direct costs, for example, the costs of diagnostic tests and treatment modalities. Unfortunately, not many studies investigated the indirect costs, i.e., costs related to the need of a person to accompany the patient during his or her outpatient visits or the costs deriving from loss of work capacity because of the disease itself or the outpatient visits. Adherence or the synonym compliance has been discussed since many years, and it seems that it remains a major problem in the management of many chronic diseases. Despite all efforts to improve adherence, the adherence rate in chronic diseases such as glaucoma or arterial hypertension remains considerably low. One of the main factors in improving adherence is raising patient's awareness of the disease by providing general understanding of their disease. Other important factors are simplified therapeutic regimens, e.g., fixed combination drops, sustained drug release techniques, or new glaucoma surgical procedures with a more favorable risk profile

Is laser trabeculoplasty the new star in glaucoma treatment?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW For decades, laser trabeculoplasty has been a well-proven therapeutic option in glaucoma management, and more recently, it has only gained in popularity. One reason for such popularity is that selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a therapy independent of patient adherence, which is typically low among glaucoma patients. Consequently, the number of studies on SLT has multiplied throughout the past years. This review provides an overview of studies on SLT from the last 12 months. RECENT FINDINGS The studies on treatment outcome show a wide range of success rates of SLT reaching between 18 and 88%; however, study designs differ and many studies are not directly comparable. The prospective laser trabeculoplasty for open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension (LiGHT) trial has demonstrated good efficacy of SLT - 75% of the eyes achieved their target pressure without drops and 58% after a single SLT. SUMMARY SLT has proven to be effective in lowering IOP with satisfactory success rates even after single SLT. SLT is repeatable independent of patient's adherence