Costs of end-stage glaucoma treatment decrease over time

SNOWBIRD, Utah — Treatment of end-stage glaucoma, when calculated over a 2-year period, entails higher costs in the first year than the second, said John G. Walt, MD, here at the American Glaucoma Society meeting.

Dr. Walt and colleagues conducted a study to determine the direct costs of treating end-stage glaucoma during a 2-year period.

The costs associated with treating 47 patients with end-stage glaucoma at a single glaucoma clinic were evaluated, Dr. Walt said. The mean cost per patient for the first year of treatment was $2,606, and for the second year $1,496. Dr. Walt said surgery and low-vision rehabilitation accounted for much of the cost in the first year.

“Low-vision costs decreased from 50.2% of total costs [in year 1] to 39.6% in year 2,” he said. “All other costs also decreased from the first year to the second, except for drug costs which remained relatively similar.”

During the 2 years, 13 surgeries were performed on the patients. The cost of drugs was the same over the duration of the study, Dr. Walt said.