Progression of Disease in Patients Newly Diagnosed With Glaucoma and Glaucoma Suspects Participating in the GATE Study

Overview

The purpose of this study is to measure how many patients develop worsening glaucoma in the early years (2-4 years) of routine monitoring in hospital eye services. We will study a group of patients who were initially diagnosed as having glaucoma, or having high pressure in the eye (ocular hypertension) or having been diagnosed as a glaucoma suspect.

In the UK, patients with possible signs of glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT) are usually picked up at a routine sight test at their optician or general practitioner. These patients are usually diagnosed in secondary care hospital eye services by an ophthalmologist. In addition to those diagnosed with OHT and glaucoma there are a large group of patients who have ocular characteristics similar to those found in glaucoma patients, but could also represent variations in normality. In this group, 'glaucoma suspects', monitoring in secondary care for a number of years is recommended in order to establish whether they have glaucoma or if after several years of monitoring there are no clear signs of glaucoma the patient may be discharged. In our study we will conduct a case-note review of a well-defined cohort of patients who were first identified through a diagnostic accuracy study (the GATE study). This includes (1) patients with OHT, (2) patients identified as glaucoma suspects and (3) patients diagnosed with glaucoma. We will investigate how many patients have experience worsening disease and how many patients have been discharged due to a low risk of glaucoma. We will also investigate the relationship between baseline demographic characteristics and characteristics of the eye and progression of disease.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Outcomes