Abstract
Purpose :
To assess the yield and describe the demographic characteristics of participants in a medical student-run glaucoma screening program in Washington, D.C.
Methods :
We reviewed the charts of all individuals attending seven city-wide health fairs that participated in glaucoma screenings offered by the Student Sight Savers Program (SSSP), a collaborative volunteer effort by ophthalmology physician faculty, ophthalmology residents, and trained medical students at Howard University College of Medicine, from a period of October 2018 to November 2019. All participants were surveyed to obtain demographic information including ocular health history and medical risk factors. Visual acuity was performed with a portable Snellen chart. Visual fields were assessed on a Frequency Doubling Perimetry device (Humphrey FDT®), and intraocular pressures were measured using a portable rebound tonometer (iCare®). Screening results of the participants were reviewed with on-site ophthalmology medical personnel to determine recommendations for future eye care.
Results :
Complete data was available for 126 screened participants. The median age of participants was 55.5 years (range 16-83 years). Ninety-two percent of participants self-reported their race as African-American (87%) or Hispanic (5%). Among the screened participants, 79% reported having medical insurance, yet only 61% of those with insurance reported having an established relationship with an eye care provider. A positive family history of glaucoma was reported by one-third of participants (34%), and comorbid systemic conditions of diabetes mellitus and hypertension were reported by 16% and 25%, respectively. An ophthalmic evaluation was recommended for 34 (27%) participants due to abnormal findings on screening assessments, with glaucoma specific workup recommended for 14 (42%) of these participants due to presence of disease-specific risk factors and abnormal screening findings.
Conclusions :
Most participants at SSSP screening events were deemed to have one or more risk factors for vision threatening conditions with approximately half of the participants reporting access to eye care. These findings suggest the ongoing need for community-based glaucoma screening programs, not only for expanding the catchment area of vital health care resources but also for playing a greater role in disseminating patient education on vision-threatening conditions.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.