Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the yield of glaucoma and ocular hypertension (OHT) screening in association with diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening in a rural population.
Patients and methods: 676 patients were screened between 2004 and 2005. The four departments the Burgundy region were visited, divided into 39 areas with sparse medical services. Each patient had fundus photographs taken with a nonmydriatic camera and IOP measurement in each eye with a noncontact tonometer. Optic discs were classified into suspect or normal.
Results: On the 676 screened patients, 41 presented an anomaly (6.1%): 31 with OHT (4.6%), 7 with a suspect optic disc (1.0%), and 3 with both anomalies (0.4%). After further control, we finally found 4 cases of OHT (0.6%) and 8 cases of glaucoma (1.2%). This screening program allowed the diagnosis of 2 new cases of OHT (0.3%) and 4 new cases of glaucoma (0.6%).
Discussion: This screening improved the quality of the ophthalmic follow-up in rural areas for diabetics. Furthermore, it is a simple and not more expensive way to screen for OHT and glaucoma in these populations.
Conclusion: The itinerant screening of OHT and glaucoma combined with a diabetic retinopathy screening is effective. The screening campaign was renewed for 2 years in semi-rural zones.