Glaucoma is the leading cause of global irreversible blindness and the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. Congenital glaucoma is an important cause of childhood blindness.
This list contains recommendations for a range of equipment, instruments, consumables and pharmaceuticals required to provide quality glaucoma services.
Efforts to ensure that services are integrated, sustainable, excellent, equitable (ISEE), and available to all who need these, should be supported. Glaucoma care should be integrated within comprehensive eye care programmes, and linked to low vision and rehabilitation programmes and social support services. An example of an eye health team to provide comprehensive glaucoma care, includes personnel at primary, secondary and tertiary levels as depicted in the model.
Recommendations for quantities of items have been calculated per million population per year based on a typical glaucoma unit/base hospital that performs opportunistic community glaucoma screening, medical treatment of outpatients diagnosed with glaucoma (1,000 patients per million population per month) and patients undergoing laser treatment.
Calculation of glaucoma surgery consumables was based on an average glaucoma surgical rate of 140 procedures per million population per year1.
Quantities need to be adjusted for different caseloads, since prevalence and incidence vary globally and the burden of disease also varies with changes in screening and referral practices. Additionally, factors such as surgical expertise and support to improve productivity will influence the workload.
Download the IAPB Essential List for Glaucoma by selecting this link.