Chronic ocular pain may benefit from team approach
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Key takeaways:
- A multidisciplinary model for chronic ocular pain was implemented at Cleveland Clinic.
- This approach showed benefits in patients who had partial or no relief with ophthalmic interventions alone.
NEW ORLEANS — A patient-centered team approach that includes ophthalmology, neurology, functional medicine and pain medicine is beneficial in the management of chronic ocular pain, according to a study.
Chronic ocular pain is difficult to manage, and ophthalmic treatments alone are often ineffective. In a poster at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting, Caprice M. Trifiro and co-authors presented a multidisciplinary model implemented at the Cleveland Clinic, which includes ophthalmology, neurology, functional medicine and pain medicine. The effectiveness of this approach was assessed through patient questionnaires filled in at baseline and last follow-up visit, numeric pain scale, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and patients’ rating of the effectiveness of the various services.
The researchers contacted 150 patients with chronic ocular pain and received 18 responses (12%). The mean duration of follow-up was 1.9 years. Improvement in pain was reported by 61% of patients, and the average numeric pain scale score decreased from 5.9 at baseline to 4.1 at the last visit. OSDI scores increased from 38.5 to 56.1.
“We are looking to gather more data in the near future to get a clearer picture of these results. What we found is that 100% of participants that we’ve gathered so far find non-pharmacologic interventions to be 100% successful,” Trifiro told Healio/OSN. “About 89% have found that their ocular pain has been helped with eye drops and 54% with systemic medications.”
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Trifiro CM, et al. Outcome of a multidisciplinary approach to treating ocular pain. Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting; April 23-27, 2023; New Orleans.
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