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Task force: Effectiveness of glaucoma screening inconclusive
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The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has released a statement saying that there was not enough evidence to determine the accuracy and effectiveness of glaucoma screening in primary care settings for adults who do not have vision problems, according to a National Eye Institute press release.
Based on this lack of clear evidence, the task force could not make a recommendation for or against screening adults for glaucoma at this time, the release said.
However, the National Eye Institute (NEI) explained in the press release that "screening" involves checking IOP only.
“Because of individual differences in normal eye pressure and the various forms of the disease, this method by itself is not sufficient for an accurate diagnosis of glaucoma,” the NEI said in the release.
“While the task force concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove that widespread glaucoma screening reduces blindness risk or improves quality of life, this recommendation does not mean that comprehensive dilated eye examinations are not important for preventing vision loss among Americans,” James Tsai, chair of the Glaucoma Subcommittee for the NEI's National Eye Health Education Program, said in the release.
This is the task force’s final recommendation statement on screening for open-angle glaucoma, the release said.
For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma.