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Assessing Early Stage Open-Angle Glaucoma in Patients by Isolated-Check Visual Evoked Potential
Published on: May 25, 2020
Screening for open angle glaucoma: systematic review of cost-effectiveness studies
Rodolfo Hernández1, Kannaiyan Rabindranath, Cynthia Fraser
1Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. r.a.hernandez@abdn.ac.uk
Journal of Glaucoma
|April 17, 2008
Summary
Current evidence on the cost-effectiveness of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) screening is insufficient. Further economic research is needed to inform policy on OAG screening strategies and new technologies.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Health Economics
- Public Health
Background:
- Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
- Effective screening strategies are crucial for early detection and intervention to prevent vision loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review existing evidence on the cost-effectiveness of various screening strategies for open-angle glaucoma (OAG).
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted to identify studies reporting costs and outcomes of OAG screening.
- Data on costs, cases of OAG detected, and prevented visual impairment/blindness were extracted.
- Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated based on the data from included studies.
Main Results:
- Only four studies met the inclusion criteria, with the latest published in 1997.
- The screening tests and treatments evaluated in these studies are outdated and no longer considered best practice.
- Methodological weaknesses and insufficient data reporting limit the current usefulness of these studies for decision-making.
Conclusions:
- There is a significant lack of current economic evidence to guide policy on OAG screening.
- Emerging technologies and treatments warrant further investigation.
- Future research, including economic modeling and clinical trials with economic evaluations, is essential to determine the cost-effectiveness and acceptability of OAG screening.
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