Cataract surgery programs could be useful for glaucoma screening

Lingam Vijaya

PARIS - Generalized glaucoma screening is not a viable solution for glaucoma diagnosis and treatment in developing countries, a physician said at the World Glaucoma Congress here.

Lingam Vijaya, MS, outlined how glaucoma cases are increasing around the world, with patients in developing countries remaining largely unaware of the disease and its irreversible blindness. Population-based studies have found that more than 90% of glaucoma cases in India are undiagnosed, compared with a rate of 40% to 60% in developing countries, she said.

"In developing countries, the problem is compounded by inadequate infrastructure and lack of awareness," she said.

Large screening programs do not appear to be a solution to the problem, she said, because "we don't have a perfect tool to diagnose glaucoma at the present time."

Opportunistic screenings, those conducted when the patient is already in an eye clinic for other eye conditions, including cataract removal, might be the best current solution, she said. Comprehensive eye examinations of all patients should be performed at that time.

"If we can piggyback on to [cataract blindness control programs] that involves the pre-assessment also, that means all cataract operations surgery patients should have a complete comprehensive eye exam so our ability to detect glaucoma will improve. And if we can piggyback on to them, we can also plan the treatment modalities," Dr. Vijaya said.

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