Abstract
Purpose :
Understanding contributors to glaucoma disparities is key to identifying early intervention points and saving vision. We evaluated the feasibility of a pilot screening initiative in a large public hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, assessed participant willingness to complete a glaucoma-awareness survey, and quantified awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of glaucoma.
Methods :
Employee-based vision screening program participants at Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) were assessed for visual acuity and intraocular pressure (IOP). Those with elevated IOP and those for whom the evaluating clinician was suspicious of glaucoma received a visual field test and retinal nerve fiber layer exam on ocular coherence tomography (OCT). Participants were invited to complete a paper-based questionnaire assessing knowledge of glaucoma symptoms, risk factors, and prognosis on a 0-10 point scale. Descriptive statistics were generated to summarize ocular and demographic characteristics of the screening program participants overall and survey respondents.
Results :
Employees from multiple hospital departments comprised the 121 participants; average age was 43.54, most were female (81.0%), and many (37.2%) reported no prior eye exam. Notably, 15.7% had a cup-to-disc ratio of ≥0.5, indicating potentially suspicious discs; 17.4% had additional testing on the Frequency Doubling Technology Perimetry Visual Field Test and Retinal Nerve Fiber Lauder exam on OCT to rule out glaucoma. Less than half of survey respondents (37.5%) demonstrated glaucoma awareness. In terms of information sources, the majority of participants relied on health workers (31.6%), followed by relatives (19.3%) and friends (10.5%) for their knowledge about glaucoma.
Conclusions :
We show the feasibility of screening for glaucoma in a high-risk population and of surveying glaucoma awareness; we have begun to demonstrate quantified need for heightened awareness and education in the high-risk Afro-Caribbean population. It is essential to bridge this knowledge gap by implementing broader glaucoma screening in conjunction with deploying focused educational resources to advance vision care in Jamaica.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.