The AgED Study. Age-related eye disease (AgED) in South Australian general practice: are we blind to early detection and intervention?

Abstract

The AgED Study aimed to evaluate the detection, awareness and management of age-related eye disease (AgED) in South Australian general practice. Three South Australian metropolitan general practices were recruited and all patients aged 75 years and older were invited to participate. A cross-sectional postal questionnaire and retrospective audit of consenting patients’ medical records was performed. On average, patients had their last eye check 9 months ago; the majority (64.9%) performed by an optometrist. Only 7.6% had visited their GP for their last eye check, mostly (90.5%) for a mandatory ‘Fitness to Drive’ medical assessment. There were marked differences in GP recording v. self-reported AgED and a marked discrepancy in the prevalence rates of AgED, visual impairment and blindness in this study compared with Australian population-based prevalence surveys. Despite the lack of GP documentation of eye disease, the majority of patients engaged in timely eye checks with either an optometrist or ophthalmologist, and their overall visual function and vision-related quality of life (QoL) were satisfactory.