The role of general practice in the identification of age-related vision impairment and chronic eye diseases: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: Age-related vision impairment (ARVI) is associated with an increased risk of dementia and depression and can affect older patients' overall health and ability to manage everyday tasks. ARVI is often asymptomatic making it difficult to detect. The WHO recommends primary care settings for identification of ARVI, underscoring the importance of general practice.

Aim: This study aims to synthesize recent knowledge on identifying ARVI in general practice within countries with well-established primary healthcare systems.

Design & setting: A systematic literature review searching for published research focused on identification of ARVI and chronic eye diseases in general practice.

Method: The search was conducted in June 2024 across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria included empirical, peer-reviewed studies focused on ARVI or eye diseases in adults in general practice, conducted in countries with well-established primary healthcare systems, and published in English or Scandinavian languages. Acute eye-diseases were excluded. Twenty articles were included. A thematic qualitative synthesis of included articles was conducted.

Results: Three themes were identified: (1) General practice screenings and referrals, highlighting a limited knowledge of eye health, but a high focus on diabetic retinopathy (DR) (2), collaboration between GP practices and other health professions implied the importance of cross-sectorial collaboration, and (3) General practice potentials in detecting ARVI, through initiatives such as continued professional development, systematic DR screening and more focus on other eye diseases than DR.

Conclusion: This review highlights the need for more research in detection of ARVI and prevalent chronic eye diseases in general practice.

Keywords: Care of the elderly; Eye problems; Systematic reviews.