Experiment in Glaucoma Case Finding : A Preliminary Report

Abstract

This preliminary report deals with an ex­ periment in case finding which originated with the Philadelphia Committee for Prevention of Blindness* and to our knowledge is the first of its kind to be undertaken. is based on a mass screening, by ophthalmologists, of 3,923 persons. Since prevention of blindness is generally recognized as a ramification of public health, the committee believes that early discovery of blinding conditions and prompt, adequate, and uninterrupted treatment for them parallels the control of such diseases as can­ cer, tuberculosis, heart disease, and others. To quote from A community organiza­ tion for mass chest X-ray surveys. It is universally recognized that tuber­ culosis is almost symptomless at its onset and may go undetected for a long time until it has reached an advanced stage, not infre­ quently until after the disease has been com­ municated to others. Since the patient will not seek the physician during the early stages of the disease, because he is not aware that anything is wrong, the physician must find ways and means to seek him. The term glaucoma might well be sub­ stituted for tuberculosis except for the im­ plication of communication to others. Motivation for mass eye examinations to locate early actually began when the Pennsylvania legislature enacted a blindpension law. Eligibility for the assistance it provided was established by visual acuity,