In response to a recent draft review by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on glaucoma screening, many eye care professionals are suggesting the agency take another look at the evidence.

The AHRQ’s draft focused on the effectiveness of screening for open-angle glaucoma (OAG) in the general and asymptomatic at-risk populations, and concluded that there’s no published evidence to link glaucoma screening with early detection and better clinical outcomes.

“We identified no studies that evaluated either medical or surgical glaucoma treatments with regard to their impact on visual impairment,” the AHRQ wrote. “We also found no good evidence linking treatment with relative improvements in patient-reported outcomes.”

Eye care groups, such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Glaucoma Society, have voiced their concerns with the draft’s limitations. They state that it overlooked the value of glaucoma screening in specific at-risk groups and ignored published studies and anecdotal experience that demonstrate the clinical benefits of screening. They also argue that it’s important to continue screening because OAG patients remain asymptomatic until later stages of the disease, when loss of vision and functional impairment can’t be reversed.

The groups are particularly concerned with these findings because the AHRQ shares its reviews with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force—which makes recommendations that have implications for Medicare and private-payer coverage decisions.

You can read the AAO/AGS joint statement on Comparative Effectiveness of Screening for Glaucoma here. Their comments are currently being evaluated, along with all the other feedback submitted during the draft’s 30-day public comment period.

You can also read and comment on the draft proposal directly here.