Design of low cost glaucoma screening

In 1991 the Netherlands Glaucoma Patient Association organized a glaucoma screening survey. This survey was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a low cost screening setting. During a screening period of 8 days, 1259 subjects over the age of 49 years were examined by a team of non-ophthalmologically trained students. The following screening methods were used: visual field analysis (Henson CFS3000 perimeter), retinal nerve fiber layer photography (Canon non-mydriatic camera), intraocular pressure measurement (Pulsair non-contact tonometer) and determination of the peripheral anterior chamber depth (slitlamp biomicroscope, the van Herick method). In a later stage, subjects with glaucomatous abnormalities in the visual field and/or the photograph were re-examined by a glaucoma specialist using applanation tonometry, gonioscopy, ophthalmoscopy and Humphrey 30-2 visual field analysis. The time taken to conduct the individual screening tests in a subject varied from 1 to 5 min: perimetry took 5 min, photography 2 min, tonometry 3 min and angle-width determination 1 min. Fifty-six (4.4%) subjects showed glaucomatous defects in perimetry and/or photography. Thirty-seven could be re-examined and glaucoma was diagnosed in 16 subjects. Visual field defects and glaucomatous abnormalities in the photograph were confirmed by Humphrey perimetry in 72.7% and 35.7% respectively. Sixty-seven (5.3%) subjects had an intraocular pressure above 21 mm Hg, while no cases of angle closure glaucoma were found in this population. The costs of this screening setting were estimated at F1. 48,60 per screen. A future low cost screening survey might be limited to non-contact tonometry and visual field analysis with the Henson CFS3000 perimeter or a similar device, using suprathreshold testing with a limited number of points. Screening might be performed by non-medically trained employees. The costs of such a screening program may be estimated at F1. 16,- per screen and F1. 1.989,- per glaucoma case using a mobile screening unit (addendum).