Risk management: how does patient management in ophthalmology compare with those of other medical disciplines?

Summary Risk management in medicine involves identifying, evaluating and monitoring actual and potential areas of risk of harm to patients. The ophthalmologist's main concern in the care of the glaucoma patient is the risk of their patient progressing to irreversible sight loss. As such, glaucoma patients receive lifelong care once diagnosed, and undergo a multitude of tests over their lifetime. This talk will explore how the care of the glaucoma patient compares with the care of patients from other disciplines and will attempt to address whether glaucoma ophthalmologists are more ‘risk averse’ in the management of their patients.