Glaucoma Research Foundation

Patient Communication is Key to Glaucoma Care

January, 2004 — Physicians do not clearly communicate the seriousness of glaucoma to their patients, according to a Glaucoma Research Foundation patient survey.

More than 40 percent of survey respondents did not understand that glaucoma could lead to blindness, though blindness ranks third among health fears, after cancer and heart disease.

“We need to do a better job of letting doctors know how important their communication is,” said GRF president and CEO Tom Brunner, who reported the survey at the Academy’s Annual Meeting in November, along with James D. Brandt, MD, director of the Glaucoma Service at the University of California, Davis.

While the vast majority of respondents remained loyal to their ophthalmologists, 28 percent did switch doctors.

Of those who switched, 60 percent did so because of poor communication. One in 10 felt he or she did not receive enough information from the physician.

The importance of these findings is underscored by the fact that while one in four used the Internet for information and about half seek information from books and magazines, 87 percent of patients rely on eye doctors as their primary source of information.

More than 43,000 people responded to the survey, which was sent to the 22,000 subscribers of GRF’s newsletter Gleams. Among the other findings:

• Fewer than half of the respondents understood the importance of keeping track of IOP readings.
• 25 percent of those who switched doctors did so because they thought their IOP should be lower.
• 92 percent were willing to tolerate cosmetic side effects, such as red eye, for the most effective pressure-lowering medication.

Though effective communication takes time, doctors must not delegate patient education to a technician, Dr. Brandt said “You really have to have that face-to-face conversation, so you can create a dialogue.” The goal, he explained, is to create an empowered patient.

The physician-patient conversation begins by addressing what Dr. Brandt called “the biggest unspoken question,” which is: Am I going blind?” If you haven’t assured (him or her) that up front, the patient can’t take in the rest.”

The doctor-patient conversation is especially important given the silent nature of the disease, which can lead to denial and poor compliance. The most important message the doctor can deliver is that glaucoma is treatable, Dr. Brandt said.

-Miriam Karmel, Eyenet, January 2004

reviewed 9-4-08