[Macroeconomic costs of eye diseases]

Economic burden of blindness and visual impairment in Germany from a societal perspective: a cost-of-illness study

BACKGROUND

Visual impairment and blindness cause a considerable and increasing economic burden affecting not only persons with vision loss and their families, but also societies. For the majority of countries, there is no solid database that would allow a comprehensive assessment of costs from a societal perspective. The present study was conducted to fill this gap.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate resource utilization of blind or visually impaired people and to assess the economic burden of blindness and visual impairment in Germany.

METHODS

This cross-sectional cost-of-illness study measures the economic burden of blindness and visual impairment bottom-up and from a societal perspective. Therefore, blind and visually impaired persons were recruited via national self-help organizations (prevalence-based approach) and interviewed regarding their utilized resources using various survey modes (mixed-mode approach). The observation period was 6 months retrospectively. Utilized resources were valued applying standardized unit costs (macro-costing). Calculations for the study population provided direct and indirect costs per person for a period of 6 months. Further cost per category was extrapolated to 1 year for the general population of Germany. Uncertainty of results was addressed applying univariate deterministic sensitivity analyses.

RESULTS

Complete data were collected from 683 participants (54.84% women; average age: 60.28 ± 17.02 years). Decreasing vision was associated with increasing costs (p < 0.001). Most costs were incurred by informal support from relatives, which was the most important resource for coping with everyday life for people with visual loss. Together with assistive/medical devices and loss of productivity due to disability, informal support accounted for 80% of total costs. Extrapolated to Germany, the annual costs of blindness and visual impairment from a societal perspective amounted to € 49.6 billion. Results of the sensitivity analyses and 95% confidence intervals showed a considerable degree of uncertainty.

CONCLUSION

Visual impairment and blindness may cause enormous overall costs from a societal point of view, as shown here for Germany. Our findings on the costs of blindness and visual impairment in Germany add in a number of different ways to the international evidence. In particular, results show that a large proportion of the costs are not obvious per se as it is caused by self-paid deductibles, productivity loss, early retirement and informal support/care by relatives. Further research should make special efforts to investigate these costs precisely as well as their influence factors.

Short-term effects of relaxation music on patients suffering from primary open-angle glaucoma

Purpose

To evaluate whether additive relaxation music (RM) has an adjuvant short-term effect on physiological and psychological parameters in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Methods

Prospective, randomized clinical trial. Patients in the therapy group (TG) received a 30-minute RM via headphones, whereas members of the control group (CG) did not. Best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, visual field testing, short- and long-term mental states, and blood levels of different stress hormones were analyzed and compared.

Results

A total of 25 (61%)/16 (39%) patients were assigned to the TG/CG. Best corrected visual acuity, daily intraocular pressure, and short-term mental state (KAB) development were significantly better in the TG in comparison to controls. Visual field testing, long-term mental well-being (profile of mood states), and adrenalin, cortisol, and endothelin-I blood levels did not differ significantly between both groups.

Conclusion

Additive RM applied on a daily basis can positively impact various physiological and psychological parameters in the short term.