Study will examine whether tailored messages spur people to get eye exams

A study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will investigate strategies to persuade older blacks, who are at increased risk of glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, to seek dilated eye exams.

The study, to be called the Examine Your Eyes project, is supported by a 4-year grant from the National Eye Institute. Researchers hope to enroll over 300 patients over 65 years of age, according to a press release from the University.

Study participants will be mailed newsletters with general information on glaucoma, the importance of dilated eye exams and a reminder to schedule an exam. Half of the newsletters will include specific information tailored to individual participants, based on their responses to a questionnaire completed at baseline.

At 3 months' follow-up, the researchers will evaluate whether the personalized information spurred more patients to make an appointment than the general newsletters.

"Tailored messaging has been used to try to change behaviors related to smoking cessation, weight loss and mammography. We are interested to see if the tailored messages will be more effective in prompting participants to schedule a dilated exam," lead investigator Nancy Ellish, DPH, said in the release.