机构：[1]Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hosp, Ctr Eye Res Australia, Level 10,200 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Vic, Australia[2]Univ Melbourne, Fac Med Dent & Hlth Sci, Dept Surg, Ophthalmol, Melbourne, Vic, Australia[3]Lost Childs Vis Project, Sydney, NSW, Australia[4]Univ Melbourne, Dept Optometry & Vis Sci, Melbourne, Vic, Australia[5]Stanford Univ, Stanford Prevent Res Ctr, Sch Med, Stanford, CA USA[6]Capital Med Univ, Beijing Tongren Hosp, Beijing Tongren Eye Ctr, Beijing Key Lab Ophthalmol & Visual Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China首都医科大学附属北京同仁医院首都医科大学附属同仁医院[7]Hong Kong Polytech Univ, Sch Optometry, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Peoples R China[8]Hong Kong Polytech Univ, Res Ctr SHARP Vis RCSV, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Peoples R China[9]Ctr Eye & Vis Res CEVR, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Peoples R China
PurposeTo examine glaucoma practice patterns in Australia, focusing on visual field test uptake and antiglaucoma drug prescribing by optometrists and ophthalmologists.DesignA serial cross-sectional study was conducted to describe visual field testing charges and compare them to changes in comprehensive eye examination charges, as well as to analyse Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) items for antiglaucoma prescriptions.MethodsThe study utilised Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) reimbursements for visual field testing from January 2003 to December 2022, along with PBS prescriptions for antiglaucoma drugs by optometrists and ophthalmologists from January 2008 to December 2022.ResultsFrom 2003 to 2022, rates of visual field testing per 100,000 population in Australia showed a consistent increase, except for a decline in 2020 due to COVID-19 lockdowns, particularly in Victoria. Optometry surpassed ophthalmology in conducting visual field tests in 2009. Prescription rates for antiglaucoma medications rose significantly from 2009 to 2022, following their inclusion in the optometric PBS, with prostaglandin analogues being the most prescribed. During the 2020 lockdowns, visual field testing decreased while antiglaucoma prescriptions remained stable.ConclusionsThe increase in visual field testing and antiglaucoma drug prescriptions underscores the expanding role of optometrists in glaucoma management in Australia. This rise has not impacted ophthalmology prescriptions, suggesting that the growing scope of optometric practice effectively reaches a broader patient population, especially amid the public health crisis of undiagnosed glaucoma.
基金：
Research Training Scholarship from the
Australian Commonwealth Government;
Medical Research Future Fund, Grant/Award
Number: MRFAI00035; NHMRC Investigator
Grant, Grant/Award Number: APP1175405
第一作者机构：[1]Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hosp, Ctr Eye Res Australia, Level 10,200 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Vic, Australia[2]Univ Melbourne, Fac Med Dent & Hlth Sci, Dept Surg, Ophthalmol, Melbourne, Vic, Australia[3]Lost Childs Vis Project, Sydney, NSW, Australia
通讯作者：
通讯机构：[1]Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hosp, Ctr Eye Res Australia, Level 10,200 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Vic, Australia[2]Univ Melbourne, Fac Med Dent & Hlth Sci, Dept Surg, Ophthalmol, Melbourne, Vic, Australia[3]Lost Childs Vis Project, Sydney, NSW, Australia
推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714)：
Jan Catherine L.,Vingrys Algis,Stafford Randall S.,et al.Visual field testing and glaucoma drug prescribing patterns in Australia[J].OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS.2025,doi:10.1111/opo.13514.
APA：
Jan, Catherine L.,Vingrys, Algis,Stafford, Randall S.,Kang, Mengtian,Shang, Xianwen...&He, Mingguang.(2025).Visual field testing and glaucoma drug prescribing patterns in Australia.OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS,,
MLA：
Jan, Catherine L.,et al."Visual field testing and glaucoma drug prescribing patterns in Australia".OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS .(2025)
