Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year
: 2020  |  Volume : 68  |  Issue : 3  |  Page : 471--474

Assessment of glaucoma referral letter for quality and accuracy among patients referred to a tertiary eye care center


Prasanna Venkataraman, Premanand Chandran, Mohamed Faheem, Vinoth Arunaachalam, Nabeed Aboobacker, Ganesh V Raman 
 Department of Glaucoma, Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Premanand Chandran
Aravind Eye Hospital, Avinashi Road, Coimbatore - 641 014, Tamil Nadu
India

Purpose: To assess the quality and accuracy of glaucoma referrals from ophthalmologist. Methods: Retrospective review of patients chart with referral letter to a tertiary glaucoma center between January and December 2017. Patients aged <16 years, lens-induced glaucoma, uveitic glaucoma, and glaucoma following retinal and corneal surgery were excluded. Results: A total of 184 patients referred by 55 ophthalmologists were included. Mean patient age (SD) was 57.8 ± 14 years. Intraocular pressure was not documented in the referral letter in 113 (61%) patients, gonioscopy in 174 (95%) patients, disc findings in 149 (81%) patients, and visual fields in 175 (95%) patients. Thirteen (37%) of the 35 patients referred as open angle glaucoma were found to have angle closure glaucoma. Pseudoexfoliation glaucoma was diagnosed in 29 (16%) patients, of which 18 were missed by the referring ophthalmologist. Conclusion: In our study >90% of referral letter did not have the essential parameters. A standard template for glaucoma referral is suggested, which will help the patient to get better transfer of care.


How to cite this article:
Venkataraman P, Chandran P, Faheem M, Arunaachalam V, Aboobacker N, Raman GV. Assessment of glaucoma referral letter for quality and accuracy among patients referred to a tertiary eye care center.Indian J Ophthalmol 2020;68:471-474


How to cite this URL:
Venkataraman P, Chandran P, Faheem M, Arunaachalam V, Aboobacker N, Raman GV. Assessment of glaucoma referral letter for quality and accuracy among patients referred to a tertiary eye care center. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 2020 [cited 2024 Mar 28 ];68:471-474
Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ijo/pages/default.aspx/article.asp?issn=0301-4738;year=2020;volume=68;issue=3;spage=471;epage=474;aulast=Venkataraman;type=0