Cost Analysis of Medical versus Surgical Management of Glaucoma in Nigeria

PURPOSE To analyze the cost of glaucoma medical therapy and compare it with that of surgical management in Nigeria. METHODS The cost of glaucoma drugs and that of surgical therapy in patients who attended the eye clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, between December 2002 and November 2008 were calculated over a 3 year period of follow-up. Costs of medical and surgical therapy were compared based on November 2008 estimates. RESULTS One hundred and eight patients met the inclusion criteria of the study, of which, 90 patients (83.33%) received medical therapy and 18 patients (16.67%) underwent surgery. The most expensive drugs were the prostaglandin analogues, travoprost (Travatan) and latanoprost (Xalatan). The least expensive topical drugs were beta-blockers and miotics. The mean annual cost of medical treatment was US$ 273.47±174.42 (range, $41.54 to $729.23) while the mean annual cost of surgical treatment was US$ 283.78±202.95 (range, $61.33 to $592.63). There was no significant difference between the mean costs of medical and surgical therapy over the 3-year period (P = 0.37). Older age (P = 0.02) and advanced glaucoma (P < 0.001) were associated with higher costs of therapy. CONCLUSION The cost of medical therapy was comparable to that of surgical therapy for glaucoma in Nigeria over a 3-year period.