Doctors of optometry are no less effective at
identifying developments in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
than ophthalmologists, and may even be more meticulous in their assessments,
concludes a new study.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal BMJ Open this
past June, the study out of the United Kingdom found community doctors' of
optometry ability to make neovascular, or "wet" AMD retreatment
decisions were "not inferior to ophthalmologists' ability," and that
"shared care with optometrists monitoring quiescent [wet AMD] lesions has
the potential to reduce workload in hospitals."
In the U.K., ophthalmologists within the Hospital
Eye Service (HES) typically administer AMD treatment of anti-vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs and continue tracking patients through
routine, monthly hospital visits to monitor for lesion reactivation. This can
tie up doctors' time and resources. Therefore, researchers set out to determine
whether 'shared care' between private practice doctors of optometry and the HES
to monitor for this reactivation was feasible, considering an established model
already exists for conditions such as glaucoma.
Researchers found that the 48 doctors of optometry
and 48 ophthalmologists classifying lesions using virtual vignettes were 84.5
percent and 85.4 percent correct, respectively. Additionally, the study noted
that doctors of optometry tended to be more cautious in their review and more
likely to classify lesions as reactivated—a trait that study authors noted
"may be desirable in a primary care setting."
Medical News Today cited the study, reporting:
"Decisions made by ophthalmologists and optometrists were consistent and
that after training, optometrists based in the community were as good as
hospital-based ophthalmologists."
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