Purpose: To evaluate the cost of glaucoma treatment for an outpatient in a public university hospital. Patients and Methods: Ninety-four outpatients were ran-domly Glaucoma Clinic of the Ophthalmology Department of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo, submitted to questionnaires at the regarding personal and antiglaucoma medicine expenses. Data collected, tabulated and the sample was divided into two were groups: surgical and nonsurgical. Results: The median estimated total spent annually on glaucoma treatment was R$ 480.15, equivalent to 13% of the median annual family income of the patients. When the sample was divided into two groups, the figures were quite different. The surgical group had a median annual estimated total expense of R$ 667.94, equivalent to 19% of the median annual family income, whereas the nonsurgical group showed a median annual estimated total expense of R$ 393.54 or 11% of the median annual family income. Sta-tistical difference was found between both groups for total annual cost (p = 0.012). Conclusion: It was observed that the cost of glaucoma treatment is quite high in respect to the family income, even considering the use of a public hospital.
Glaucoma; treatment; cost
