[Preserving vision in the elderly: a survey to start a quality development program in general practice]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• A significant percentage of patients do not adhere to recommended routine eye screenings.
• Patients with chronic conditions like diabetes or glaucoma often fail to attend follow-up appointments.
• Many individuals delay seeking professional eye care, even when experiencing symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which primary care physicians can influence patient adherence to ophthalmologic care.
• To assess patient engagement with routine eye screenings and specialist follow-ups.
• To understand the role of primary care in managing deficits in ophthalmologic care.

Main Methods:

• Survey of 4918 patients aged 40 and above, treated by 107 primary care physicians across 9 networks.
• Data collection on patient history of ophthalmologist consultations, including routine screenings and symptom-driven visits.
• Inclusion of patient demographics, prevalence of diabetes and glaucoma, and reported eye symptoms.

Main Results:

• 15% of patients had never seen an ophthalmologist, and 43% had not within the last three years.
• Among patients with diabetes (16%) or glaucoma (7%), adherence to follow-up care was suboptimal.
• 46% of patients reported eye symptoms, with a quarter consulting their primary care physician for eye issues.

Conclusions:

• Primary care physicians are not consistently proactive in recommending routine ophthalmologic examinations.
• The utilization of basic diagnostic tools for eye conditions by primary care physicians is infrequent.
• There is a significant gap in ophthalmologic care, with limited physician intervention to bridge it.