Patient Experience and Barriers to the Visual Field Test for Glaucoma.

PRCIS: There are significant mental, physical, and perceptual challenges in patients undergoing visual field testing, particularly in the elderly population with glaucoma. PURPOSE: To quantitatively and qualitatively investigate patient experiences of undergoing visual field testing. METHODS: This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study involves adult patients attending a private outpatient ophthalmology clinic in Brisbane, Australia. Participant experiences of visual field testing were assessed using a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS), followed by face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Outcome data comprised of VAS scores (1-100) and thematically analyzed verbatim notes. RESULTS: Out of the 152 participants (M:F 79 (52.0%):73 (48.0%)) the age group with the highest proportion of participants was 71-80 years 56 (36.8%), and most had a primary ocular diagnosis of glaucoma 107 (70.4%). The mean VAS score for visual field testing experience was (60.45 [SD=30.38]). The mean VAS score of participants with glaucoma was significantly lower than that of participants without glaucoma (55.34 [31.13] vs 72.67 [25.04]; P<0.05). Prevalent themes regarding participant experiences of visual field testing consisted of concentration difficulties, intra-test and peri-test anxiety, skepticism in the testing process, and physical discomfort. Age, gender and mean visual field index did not influence the participant's experience of visual field testing. CONCLUSIONS: Mental and physical barriers to visual field testing tolerability were identified in a predominantly elderly population with glaucoma. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing patient concerns and apprehensions regarding visual field testing and emphasize the value of patient-initiated breaks, particularly for individuals experiencing concentration difficulties and physical discomfort.

Acute red eye in children: A practical approach.

BACKGROUND: Acute red eye in a child is a common ocular presentation in general practice. It can arise from a wide spectrum of pathologies and involve various ocular structures. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to provide a framework for the general practitioner to assess and manage a child presenting with a red eye, with a focus on cases that require immediate referral. DISCUSSION: Most paediatric red eyes are benign and can be safely managed in general practice. However, this requires thorough history-taking and examination together with the ruling out of red flags. Assessment of a child with a red eye may pose specific challenges that can usually be overcome by focused history-taking and opportunistic examination. Urgent referral for examination under sedation or anaesthesia is indicated when there is suspicion of a vision-threatening cause and/or assessment in the clinic is unsuccessful.