Outcomes of referrals by community optometrists to a hospital glaucoma service

摘要

>Aim: To determine the outcomes resulting from optometric referrals to a specialist glaucoma screening clinic over a 10 year period.>Methods: Details of the initial clinical assessment of all new patients referred to the adult glaucoma screening clinic at Oxford Eye Hospital were collected prospectively from July 1994 to June 2004.>Results: Optometrists working in community practice initiated 2505 referrals. Of these, glaucoma was confirmed in 510 patients (20.4%), including 160 with normal intraocular pressure (IOP). A diagnosis of ocular hypertension was made in 747 patients (29.8% of referrals) and 125 (5.0%) were categorised as glaucoma suspects. There was no evidence of a diagnostic trend over the period of data collection. Treatment to lower IOP was commenced in 458 patients (18.3%). Nearly half of those referred, 1148 (45.8%), were discharged from ophthalmological review at the first visit.>Conclusion: In this survey, the largest of its nature, only one in five subjects had glaucoma and nearly half were discharged from hospital ophthalmological review. The findings provide a baseline against which the effectiveness of any future system of glaucoma detection in the United Kingdom can be compared.