Changes in the Glaucoma Diagnosis during the Last 10 years: Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Data 2010-2019

Abstract

Purpose: We determined the current status of glaucoma diagnoses in Korea and trends in the change over the past 10 years using data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Methods: The glaucoma diagnostic code was collected from the disease subclass statistics of the medical statistical information disclosed in the Healthcare Bigdata open system, and the number of health insurance patients who were billed for medical care benefit costs from 2010 to 2019 with the glaucoma diagnosis code was collected. Data were collected for each diagnostic code by dividing it by year, age group, and gender, and then changes in the current status of glaucoma diagnosis per 100,000 people were analyzed by age group. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine the increasing and decreasing trends for each diagnostic code and whether the trend changed during the study period. Results: The number of health insurance patients who received treatment with the glaucoma diagnostic code in 2019 compared to 2010 increased by 120.3% and 109.5% per 100,000 people covered by medical care. This increasing trend has slowed as of 2015. Suspected glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, and primary angle-closure glaucoma showed an increasing trend, while glaucoma secondary to eye trauma and glaucoma secondary to drugs declined markedly. No significant trend in glaucoma secondary to eye inflammation was detected, and glaucoma secondary to other eye disorders and unspecified glaucoma tended to increase. Other glaucoma diagnoses decreased from 2010 to 2012 and then increased. Conclusions: The number of patients who underwent glaucoma treatment among all health insurance patients increased significantly from 2010 to 2019. Despite the overall increasing trend, eye trauma and drug-induced secondary glaucoma have markedly decreased.