Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate the effectiveness of identifying Glaucoma at an outreach camp (OC) using a portable fundus camera to get digital images of the disc and macula.
Methods :
Participants: Of the 97,997 patients attending free camps, from January 2015 to June 2016, conducted by a tertiary eye care hospital, 8,571 were screened through novel camps using a handheld fundus camera. Patients were above 40 years and had no corneal pathology or significant cataracts. Data was collected using a community outreach management system, and then compared for statistically significant differences (p<0.5) with data from camps that did not use this novel technology.
Results :
The presence of a fundus camera at the OC led to an increase in the median number of glaucoma patients diagnosed. The data was analyzed using one-sided unpaired hypothesis test, where it was seen that there were no statistically significant differences between the ages of the patients seen at a fundus camera camp (FCC) vs. non-fundus camera camp (NFCC). Other factors, such as the number of patients seen at each camp, were also accounted. A FCC had 78.5% of the patients above 40 years, whereas 79.9% of patients at NFCC were above 40 years. FCC had approximately 76 cataract referrals per 100 patients, and a NFCC had approximately 78. The study showed FCC had a median of 1.5 glaucoma patients diagnosed per 100 patients, as opposed to a NFCC that had a median of 0.8 glaucoma patients diagnosed per 100 patients.
Conclusions :
The presence of fundus camera at an OC can increase the number of potential Glaucoma diagnosis by almost double. Considering low prevalence of glaucoma worldwide, to catch an extra person with the disease early is promising for the future of glaucoma care. The ability to see the disc with the aid of a fundus camera is crucial for OC to optimize potential glaucoma diagnosis.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.