Imaging in glaucoma care pathways in the UK

Abstract

Glaucoma is an incurable disease of the eye that affects 2% of over 40s in the United Kingdom and 5% of those over 80. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that the disease affects around 480,000 people in the United Kingdom, with over a million glaucoma-related hospital outpatient appointments each year. This paper aims to establish the care pathways for glaucoma across the United Kingdom and the perceived value of imaging. A questionnaire was distributed to members of the Ophthalmic Imaging Association to identify imaging protocols with glaucoma; results indicated that there was variation between hospitals. The perceived clinical value of imaging from staff involved in the pathway was also explored.

Keywords:

• Diagnostic imaging
• medical art and illustration
• photography

Acknowledgements

This study was submitted as part of the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Photography at Cardiff University. Thanks to Paul Crompton, Amy Lake, Bolette Jones, Chris Tetley, Professor James Morgan and Stephen Pearson and the Ophthalmic Imaging Association for their support during this work.

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflict of interest.