Patient experience and barriers to the visual field test for glaucoma.

Abstract

Prcis: There are significant mental, physical, and perceptual challenges in patients undergoing visual field testing, particularly in the elderly population with glaucoma.

Purpose: To quantitatively and qualitatively investigate patient experiences of undergoing visual field testing.

Methods: This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study involves adult patients attending a private outpatient ophthalmology clinic in Brisbane, Australia. Participant experiences of visual field testing were assessed using a 100mm visual analog scale (VAS), followed by face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Outcome data comprised of VAS scores (1-100) and thematically analyzed verbatim notes.

Results: Out of the 152 participants (M:F 79 (52.0%):73 (48.0%)) the age group with the highest proportion of participants was 71-80 years 56 (36.8%), and most had a primary ocular diagnosis of glaucoma 107 (70.4%). The mean VAS score for visual field testing experience was (60.45 [SD=30.38]). The mean VAS score of participants with glaucoma was significantly lower than that of participants without glaucoma (55.34 [31.13] vs 72.67 [25.04]; P<0.05). Prevalent themes regarding participant experiences of visual field testing consisted of concentration difficulties, intra-test and peri-test anxiety, skepticism in the testing process, and physical discomfort. Age, gender and mean visual field index did not influence the participant's experience of visual field testing.

Conclusions: Mental and physical barriers to visual field testing tolerability were identified in a predominantly elderly population with glaucoma. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing patient concerns and apprehensions regarding visual field testing and emphasize the value of patient-initiated breaks, particularly for individuals experiencing concentration difficulties and physical discomfort.