Abstract Background: Adherence to follow-up by glaucoma patients is suboptimal due to significant barriers. Vision centres (VC) subserve the primary eye care needs of the rural population and can be leveraged to improve follow-up of persons with glaucoma. Methods: Follow-up camps by a glaucoma specialist from the base hospital were planned in 5 Vision centres. 996 patients, previously identified with glaucoma and suspects in the tertiary hospital who failed to follow-up were recalled for eye examination. Family members of glaucoma patients were invited for screening. Result: A total of 322 persons attended the eye camp. Two hundred and eighty-five (29%) persons previously diagnosed with glaucoma reported. Nineteen persons were newly detected to have glaucoma. Thirty-nine (12.1%) were referred to a tertiary hospital for investigations or treatment. Conclusion: Following up known patients with glaucoma in Vision Centres enhances the likelihood of monitoring patients lost to follow-up, and screening their first-degree relatives facilitates earlier glaucoma detection in a high-risk group. This decentralised model not only addresses critical barriers to care but also promotes environmental sustainability by minimising long-distance travel, thereby significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Balakrishnan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.