Glaucoma innovation needs to move to earlier treatment

SAN FRANCISCO — Moving glaucoma innovation to focus on early treatment will save money and improve patient quality of life, according to the keynote speaker at the Glaucoma Research Foundation’s Glaucoma 360 New Horizons Forum here.

Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, gave the Drs. Henry and Frederick Sutro Memorial Lecture on transcendental goals for innovation in eye health.

Lee discussed the challenges facing glaucoma treatment now and into the future, citing changing ethnic demographics and a dwindling pool of ophthalmologists to treat an ever-growing patient base.

“The most important thing is the ethnic makeup in the U.S. is changing very quickly. Rohit Varma has shown the growing Latino and Asian communities will increase the rate of glaucoma,” he said.

In order to improve treatment under these challenging circumstances, earlier treatment using improved diagnostics and treatment modalities and exploiting big data will be key.

“Early glaucoma costs a lot less per year than those with advanced glaucoma,” Lee said. “If we use tools and innovate earlier in the disease, we will save money and improve patients’ lives.”

He said physicians and innovators need to change focus from their traditional treatment locations and get into patients’ homes.

Lee said he believes big data will also help the ophthalmic community do a better job of taking care of patients.

“We also know that telemedicine does improve access to care,” he said.

“If we are able to provide information to the doctor at the time they are seeing the patient with point-of-care testing, it will really improve care,” he said. – by David W. Mullin

Disclosure: No products or companies that would require financial disclosure are mentioned in this article.