Weigh pros, cons of at-home IOP measurements
WAILEA, Hawaii — Glaucoma patients may ask for ways to monitor IOP between visits, but ophthalmologists should weigh benefits and drawbacks of at-home monitoring options, according to speakers at Hawaiian Eye 2021.
“I have that question all the time, actually,” Sahar Bedrood, MD, PhD, said. “Some of my patients are significantly worried, so they come in.”
Options for at-home eye care include rentable and purchasable equipment, but before recommending that, it is important to weigh the benefits and downsides, Bedrood said.
“My impression is that it is not as reliable and may actually worsen any anxiety that a patient has,” Bedrood said.
A worse scenario is a patient who believes that an unreliable check at home is sufficient and neglects standard office visits.
“If it is not 100% reliable, it is just not something that I am going to recommend to the patient,” Bedrood said.
“I feel like they are more likely to get paranoid by some high pressure or lulled into sleep by low pressures,” Jacob W. Brubaker, MD, said.
One possible use for at-home monitoring is for those patients who appear to be progressing despite presenting with acceptable IOP during clinic visits.
“Sending them home with the iCare just to see what their trend is, is important,” Brubaker said.
“I think that that is something that we are thinking of venturing into, but that is a pretty small subset of patients,” Brubaker.
Collapse
Kahook M, et al. Glaucoma lightning rounds. Presented at: Hawaiian Eye; May 8-14, 2021; Wailea, Hawaii.
Read more about