Knowledge about glaucoma and barriers to follow-up care in a community glaucoma screening program

Objective: To assess perceived barriers to glaucoma follow-up care, including the lack of glaucoma knowledge and the lack of health care access, among participants in a community glaucoma screening program. Design: Community survey. Participants: Two hundred forty-three consecutive participants in a series of free glaucoma screenings between November 2002 and August 2003. Methods:The survey consisted of 20 questions designed to elicit knowledge of glaucoma and perception of potential barriers to follow-up care. Our aim was to find correlations between patient demographics and knowledge of glaucoma as well as perceived potential barriers to follow-up care. The data were analyzed using SPSS, v. 10.1. Results: The average age of the respondents was 70 years, and females predominated (66%). About half of the respondents knew of an eye doctor in their neighborhood, and 60% had had an eye examination in the past year. Two hundred twenty-two (91%) indicated they could get to an eye doctor if the screening examination indicated they needed a follow-up examination. Two hundred twenty (90.5%) had medical insurance. One hundred seventy-eight (73%) of the participants had heard of glaucoma; 71 (29%) identified an accurate definition of glaucoma. The level of education and the language spoken at home were correlated with both glaucoma awareness (p<0.001; p<0.001) and knowledge of an accurate definition of glaucoma (p<0.001; p<0.025). Conclusions: In this population, a lack of adequate education about glaucoma may be more significantly associated with poor follow-up rates than a lack of access to care in those identified as glaucoma suspects.