Establishing a Regional Glaucoma Physician Collaborative to Improve Quality of Care.

PURPOSE: Improving adherence to practice guidelines can improve patient safety and quality of care. We sought to establish a regional glaucoma physician collaborative to evaluate and improve adherence to the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Primary Open-angle Glaucoma (POAG) Preferred Practice Pattern (PPP) guidelines. DESIGN: Prospective interventional study. METHODS: The collaborative consisted of 13 glaucoma specialists from 3 practices in Michigan. All consecutive POAG new patient visits were reviewed from each study site to determine physician adherence to the 13 major examination elements of the PPP. In phase 1 of the study, physician adherence rates for each of the recommended examination elements were combined and averaged for all groups. Averages for the collaborative were reported to each site, and each physician received his or her individual adherence rates. Physicians discussed strategies to improve overall adherence to the PPP. Adherence rates were collected in phase 2 to determine if feedback and sharing of strategies resulted in improved adherence. RESULTS: A total of 274 new POAG patient visits from phase 1 and 280 visits from phase 2 were reviewed. After accounting for multiple comparisons, overall improvement approached statistical significance for the evaluation of visual function (91.2% to 96.1%, P < .02) and target intraocular pressure determination (73.7% to 83.2%, P < .01). Improvement for other measures that had a high rate of adherence at baseline (eg, ocular history, pupil examination, and central corneal thickness measurement) was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to establish a regional glaucoma physician collaborative to improve standardization of care for patients with newly diagnosed POAG.

First Described Case of Anterior and Posterior Segment Crystals in Phacolytic Glaucoma.

Phacolytic glaucoma is an open-angle glaucoma that occurs when lens proteins from hypermature cataracts seep through an intact anterior capsule and induce obstruction of the trabecular meshwork by inflammatory cells. We review the case of a 66-year-old man who presented with acute pain, a hypermature cataract, prominent anterior chamber crystals, and elevated intraocular pressure. After cataract surgery was performed, iridescent crystals were noted in the posterior chamber. Anterior chamber crystals have been associated with phacolytic glaucoma, but this is the first case demonstrating crystals in the posterior chamber as well.

IOP Elevation After Cataract Surgery: Results for Residents and Senior Staff at Henry Ford Health System.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence of intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation on postoperative day 1 (POD1) after cataract surgery performed by resident surgeons compared with attending surgeons and to examine the influence of associated variables on the incidence of postoperative IOP elevation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of 2472 consecutive 2.2 to 2.8 mm temporal clear corneal cataract extractions by phacoemulsification performed by either residents or attending surgeons at Henry Ford Health System. Fellow eyes were excluded, resulting in 1847 eyes. IOP measurements of >40, >30, and >23 mm Hg were noted along with incremental IOP elevations of ≥10 and 20 mm Hg over preoperative/baseline IOP. Associated variables included: age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, glaucoma, glaucoma suspect, uveitis, prior ocular trauma, and vitreous loss at surgery. RESULTS: Resident-performed cataract surgery was associated with statistically significant higher rates of IOP elevation in all categories and in all clinical situations known to be associated with postoperative IOP spike, that is, vitreous loss at surgery, prior ocular trauma, and preexisting glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of postoperative day 1 IOP elevation after phacoemulsification performed by resident surgeons was 2 to 5 times that of experienced cataract surgeons. Variables including vitreous loss at surgery, prior ocular trauma, preexisting glaucoma, glaucoma suspect status, and male sex were significant contributors. Consideration for prophylactic IOP lowering is advised in high-risk patients.