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Patient awareness, follow-up of glaucoma can be improved by early diagnosis
WASHINGTON — The earlier a patient is diagnosed and treated for glaucoma, the better, according to one clinician.
“The advantages of early diagnosis are that the patient can be treated sooner, which offers improved odds of preventing functional vision loss,” said Kuldev Singh, MD, here at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery’s Glaucoma Day. “The benefits of IOP-lowering therapy have been quantified.”
Dr. Singh said that although early diagnosis does not always mean early treatment, early diagnosis means that the patient’s awareness of the disease will be improved.
“There will be less harm to the patient if progression happens early on in the disease, rather than later,” Dr. Singh said.
He added, however, that there can be potential pitfalls of early diagnosis.
“Patients can be anxious when they learn they have glaucoma. But you need to assure them that if they are diagnosed and treated early then they shouldn’t be anxious,” he said.