The possibility and practicality of glaucoma screening in modern society

Abstract

Glaucoma is one of the main causes of low vision and irreversible blindness both in Russia and all over the world. Taking into account the huge budget expenditures of any country, both direct and indirect, required to provide ophthalmological care to a sufficiently large contingent of glaucoma patients, including annual losses of economic productivity associated with visual impairment, the practical importance of glaucoma screening is beyond doubt. In addition, identification of patients at the onset of the disease would allow earlier start of the treatment aimed at stabilizing the glaucoma process. However, the questions remain whether it is possible to perform glaucoma screening in current realities, as well as what research methods should be used. To find the answers to these questions, we reviewed the literature and analyzed modern publications on the problem of glaucoma screening in different countries.