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Abstract #21848 Published in IGR 10-3
The additional yield of a periodic screening programme for open-angle glaucoma: A population-based comparison of incident glaucoma cases detected in regular ophthalmic care with cases detected during screening
Stoutenbeek R; de Voogd S; Wolfs RC; Hofman A; De Jong PT; Jansonius NMBritish Journal of Ophthalmology 2008; 92: 1222-1226
See also comment(s) by Augusto Azuara Blanco • Anne Coleman • David Friedman • Felipe Medeiros • Fotis Topouzis • Nomdo Jansonius •
AIM: To study the additional yield of a periodic screening programme for open-angle glaucoma (OAG) by comparing, in a population-based setting, incident OAG (iOAG) cases detected in regular ophthalmic care with those detected during screening. METHODS: Participants aged 55 and over from the population-based Rotterdam Study underwent the same ophthalmic examination at baseline (1991-3) and follow-up (1997-9), including visual field testing and simultaneous stereo optic disc photography. Of 3842 participants, 87 (2.3%) developed iOAG during a mean follow-up time of 6.5 years. Of these 87 iOAG cases, 78 (90%) were included in this study. RESULTS: Of the 78 iOAG cases detected at follow-up, 23 (29%) had already been detected before during regular ophthalmic care. The remaining 55 (71%) undetected iOAG cases more often showed glaucomatous optic neuropathy without glaucomatous visual field loss (29 of 55 (53%)) as compared with the detected cases (four of 23 (17%); p = 0.009). Of the undetected iOAG cases, only four had developed significant visual field loss in their better eye. CONCLUSION: The additional yield of a periodic OAG screening programme is lower than expected from published prevalence data. In the discussion, the authors estimate that-in a white population with a low prevalence of pseudoexfoliation-about one in 1000 screened persons could be saved from bilateral end-stage OAG.
Dr. R. Stoutenbeek, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
Classification:
1.6 Prevention and screening (Part of: 1 General aspects)
