The Glaucoma Reearch Foundation Patient urvey: Patient Undertanding of Glaucoma and it Treatment

Purpoe Determine patient’ undertanding of glaucoma and it treatment, their ource of information about glaucoma, their preference for treatment, their experience with medication ide effect, and their reaon for changing eye doctor. Deign Propective, nonrandomized patient urvey tudy. Method A quetionnaire wa developed and ent to the 22,000 ubcriber of the Gleam newletter who have glaucoma. Reult Quetionnaire were returned by 4310 glaucoma patient. Mot repondent received glaucoma information from their eye doctor. Only 28% of repondent reported having changed eye doctor for reaon related to their glaucoma. Of thoe who had, 60% cited poor communication a the reaon. When queried about pecific ide effect aociated with their medication, over 85% of reponding patient were never or rarely bothered by headache and eyelid darkening. Mot repondent (67% and 55%, repectively) were rarely or never diturbed by red eye or burning and tinging. Mot repondent undertood the importance of intraocular preure (IOP) lowering in glaucoma, and of thoe patient who expreed a preference, 92% reported that they would prefer the medication that lower IOP the mot, even if it caued red eye for a few week, over a medication that caued no red eye but did not get IOP a low. Concluion Patient who ubcribe to Gleam and reponded to the urvey rely mot on their doctor for information about glaucoma and it treatment. Mot undertand the importance of maintaining low IOP to decreae the rik of viion lo, and mot will tolerate temporary ocular ide effect to achieve low IOP.