Average expenditure on medications per patient with glaucoma in 2001 was $445, by 2006 it had increased to $557, an increase of 25%, researchers from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami reported in Archives of Ophthalmology. In the USA about 2.2 million people aged 40+ years have primary open-angle glaucoma. Experts say this number should rise by nearly 50% by the end of this decade.

Yearly medical costs linked to glaucoma stand at approximately $2.9 billion in the USA.

The researchers wrote:

“Presently, the direct annual medical costs associated with the condition are roughly $2.9 billion. Although data on glaucoma-expense trends is limited, the authors note that “there is a direct correlation between increased expenditure and increased severity of glaucoma, with medication consisting of one-third to one-half of direct costs.”

Byron L. Lam, M.D., and team set out to determine what the current trends in glaucoma-related medical expenses are. They gathered data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2001 to 2006. As from 2006, it contained data on Medicare Part D prescription drug program participation. They evaluated data on 1,404 adult patients who had been prescribed glaucoma drugs.

The researchers found that:

  • 2001 – average expenditure per patient was $445
  • 2006 – average expenditure per patient was $557
  • The largest increases in expenditure were among females, individuals who had not completed high school, and patients with only public health insurance
  • Prostaglandin analog medication expenditure increased from $168 in 2001 to $271 in 2006
  • Beta-blocker expenditure fell from $167 in 2001 to $69 in 2006
  • Patients with Medicare Part D coverage incurred greater expenditure increases from 2001 to 2006 than those with private insurance

The authors wrote:

“The results of our study as well as an understanding of the factors that account for the increase in glaucoma medication expenditure are important to help develop effective strategies and protocols for the medical management of glaucoma that optimize treatment and control expenditures.”

They concluded that further studies are required to explain the trends among patient subgroups.

Arch Ophthalmol. 2011;doi:10.1001/archophthalmol.2011.142.

Written by Christian Nordqvist