The majority of the respondents to the question, on the forum and on the survey we ran on our homepage, thought that their patient numbers had increased (see below).

Factors affecting patient numbers in 2008

According to our survey, the availability of anti-VEGF treatment has exerted a big influence on patient numbers this year: the opportunity to treat a wide array of patients with retinal disorders, and the requirements for frequent repeat injections and extensive follow-up have been key to the patient increases seen by 68% of our survey respondents.*

My patient numbers have...

Earlier screening for and attempts to increase awareness of common diseases have also made their impact felt, by increasing patient numbers. The ageing population, with the accompanying increase in a multitude of ophthalmic diseases, has also pushed patient numbers up, while conversely the shrinking economy has reduced the number of elective procedures — such as laser refractive surgery — being performed.

The forum is open to contributions from all members of the European Ophthalmology group, and OTE actively encourages members to initiate new discussion topics. To become a member of the European Ophthalmology community, please go to http://www.oteurope.com/forum/. To join the debate, please visit http://www.oteurope.com/discuss/. We're currently contemplating nutraceuticals in eye care, exploring the relationship between optometry and ophthalmology and examining the healthcare burden of eye diseases.

* OTE online survey; http://www.oteurope.com/, November 2008.