The treatment burden: is it all getting too much?
8 February 2023
Winter 2023
The effort, cost and logistics of managing treatment for eye conditions can have a big impact on patients’ quality of life. What can be done to minimise their treatment burden?
The idea that the “treatment burden” affects a patient’s adherence to medications, adaptations and attending ongoing appointments, and is linked to worse medical outcomes, is emerging in healthcare literature (Alsadah et al, 2022). A wide range of chronic eye conditions and comorbidities with other diseases can have an impact on a patient’s quality of life. From drops and lasers for primary open angle glaucoma to intravitreal injections for eye conditions such as diabetic macular oedema, treatment burden can be relevant to a variety of medical interventions.
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Related further reading
The number of people with glaucoma, AMD and cataracts is set to increase over the next 10 years. This new online tool will be a critical planning resource for commissioners and providers of eye health care.
The College, The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and the Federation of Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) back the Government’s commitment to put patients in the driving seat and give them more control and choice over their care.
One thing is certain: I wasn’t expecting the events of the last 10 weeks to take place when I wrote my last Optometry in Practice editorial in February this year.