In a 2022 Optometric Management reader poll, 79% of respondents said they provided medical care for glaucoma, and 21% forecasted they planned to purchase a new piece of clinical technology related to glaucoma management within a year.

Recent numbers reaffirm why this emphasis on glaucoma diagnosis and care in practice is so important: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than three million Americans have glaucoma. And because there are no early signs, 50% of people with glaucoma don’t know they have the disease.

TIPS FOR EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS

This issue’s “Practicing Medical Optometry” (PMO) section provides a wealth of tips on managing glaucoma efficiently and effectively:

• In “Take a Tour of Tonometry," Drs. Natalie Townsend and Jennifer Tran discuss the various types of tonometers, how they measure IOP, and how each of the types may apply to certain patient populations.
• Drs. Christopher Wroten and Onyale Warnock present six action steps for streamlining OCT imaging for glaucoma. Their article, “Improve OCT Imaging Efficiency in Glaucoma," includes valuable advice on scheduling, staff training, billing and coding, and more.
• In “Overcome Patient Non-Compliance to Therapies," OM interviews Drs. Austin Lifferth, Brett G. Bence, and Michael Cymbor, who explain how to identify and address those glaucoma patients who are not following their medication regimens. It’s a significant issue, as studies have reported non-compliance rates ranging from 30% to 80%.

In addition to our PMO features, Dr. Lifferth, who is OM’s “Glaucoma” columnist, discusses how to differentiate glaucoma from non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy in his latest column. Also, in “Coding Strategy,” Brandy H. Sperry presents guidelines for how frequently glaucoma testing can be repeated.

LOOKING AHEAD

Beyond this issue, OM will present the following PMO themes in its 2023 issues: diabetes (May), dry eye disease (July), and AMD/retina (October). These conditions affect tens of millions of patients who can benefit from the eye health and vision care services provided by optometrists. OM