Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;128(5):613-8.
doi: 10.1001/archophthalmol.2010.83.

Effect of patient's life expectancy on the cost-effectiveness of treatment for ocular hypertension

Steven M Kymes  1 , Michael R Plotzke, Michael A Kass, Michael V Boland, Mae O Gordon
Affiliations

Effect of patient's life expectancy on the cost-effectiveness of treatment for ocular hypertension

Steven M Kymes et al. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 May.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the influence of expected life span on the cost-effectiveness of treating ocular hypertension to prevent primary open-angle glaucoma.

Methods: We used a Markov simulation model to estimate the cost and benefit of ocular hypertension treatment over a person's remaining life. We examined the influence of age on the cost-effectiveness decision in 2 ways: (1) by evaluating specific age cohorts to assess the influence of age at the initiation of treatment; and (2) by evaluating the influence of a specific life span.

Results: At a willingness to pay $50,000/quality-adjusted life year to $100,000/quality-adjusted life year, treatment of people with a 2% or greater annual risk of developing glaucoma was cost-effective for people aged 45 years with a life expectancy of at least 18 remaining years. However, to be cost-effective, a person aged 55 years must have a life expectancy of 21 remaining years and someone aged 65 years must have a life expectancy of 23 remaining years.

Conclusions: A person with ocular hypertension must have a life expectancy of at least 18 remaining years to justify treatment at a threshold of a 2% or greater annual risk of developing glaucoma. Persons at higher levels of risk require a life expectancy of 7 to 10 additional years to justify treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of the Markov model used to evaluate the effect of life expectancy on the cost-effectiveness of ocular hypertension treatment to prevent glaucoma. POAG indicates primary open-angle glaucoma.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cost-effectiveness threshold for treatment by age and willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold. POAG indicates primary open-angle glaucoma; QALY, quality-adjusted life year.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Parrish RK, Gedde SJ, et al. Visual function and quality of life among patients with glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 1997;115:1447–1455. - PubMed
    1. Lee PP, et al. A Multicenter Retrospective Pilot Study of Resource Use and Costs Associated With Severity of Disease in Glaucoma. Arch Ophthalmol. 2006;124:12–19. - PubMed
    1. Kobelt-Nguyen G. Costs of treating primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension: a retrospective, observational two-year chart review of newly diagnosed patients in Sweden and the United States. J Glaucoma. 1998;7:95–104. - PubMed
    1. The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group. Prevalence of Open-Angle Glaucoma Among Adults in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:532–538. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kymes SM, Kass MA, Anderson DR, et al. Management of Ocular Hypertension: A cost-effectiveness Approach From the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2006;141:997–1008. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances