Study provides evidence of socioeconomic costs of glaucoma-related blindness

PARIS — Glaucoma-induced visual impairment costs society about 5,000 euros per affected person per year in France and Denmark, according to a socioeconomic study on glaucoma and blindness in Europe. The study also found that other countries are not far off from those levels.

“With the aging of the population, the prevalence of glaucoma is going to increase in future years. The aim of this study, which is going to be extended to other countries in Europe, is to make a balance between the cost of blindness or low vision related to glaucoma and the cost of prevention and therapy,” Alain Bron, MD, told Ocular Surgery News here during the French Society of Ophthalmology meeting.

The overwhelming majority of that 5,000 euro figure (73%) is spent on household help for all daily tasks, such as cooking, shopping and cleaning. A smaller percentage (about 14%) is spent on low vision aids, with only about 9% being directly spent on medical costs, the study said.

“Medical treatment and examinations are of very little benefit to the patient at this stage,” Prof. Bron said. He said “most” of the expenses are covered by the national social security system in both France and Denmark and in some instances, private insurance can offset the cost as well.

The economic burden that glaucoma-related blindness imposes on governments should become one further reason to invest resources on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, he said.