PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare costs of digital photograph grading with that of film-based, human grading of the lens in epidemiological studies involving cataract assessment. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness was measured by establishing the number of participants with ungradeable images and incorporating these lost data into the overall cost per participant for each study. RESULTS: The digital grading system cost was A$105000 with operating costs of $2.81 per participant, with 99.4% effectiveness. The film-based, human grading set-up costs were $43000 with operating costs of $18.49 per participant and 90% effectiveness. After examining 3500 people the use of the digital equipment becomes cost-beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: The high costs of setting up a digital cataract grading system are offset by the low running costs, less ungradeable images and greater accuracy over the duration of a large scale ophthalmic epidemiological study.
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare costs of digital photograph grading with that of film-based, human grading of the lens in epidemiological studies involving cataract assessment. METHODS: Cost-effectiveness was measured by establishing the number of participants with ungradeable images and incorporating these lost data into the overall cost per participant for each study. RESULTS: The digital grading system cost was A$105000 with operating costs of $2.81 per participant, with 99.4% effectiveness. The film-based, human grading set-up costs were $43000 with operating costs of $18.49 per participant and 90% effectiveness. After examining 3500 people the use of the digital equipment becomes cost-beneficial. CONCLUSIONS: The high costs of setting up a digital cataract grading system are offset by the low running costs, less ungradeable images and greater accuracy over the duration of a large scale ophthalmic epidemiological study.
Authors: Tiarnan D L Keenan; Qingyu Chen; Elvira Agrón; Yih-Chung Tham; Jocelyn Hui Lin Goh; Xiaofeng Lei; Yi Pin Ng; Yong Liu; Xinxing Xu; Ching-Yu Cheng; Mukharram M Bikbov; Jost B Jonas; Sanjeeb Bhandari; Geoffrey K Broadhead; Marcus H Colyer; Jonathan Corsini; Chantal Cousineau-Krieger; William Gensheimer; David Grasic; Tania Lamba; M Teresa Magone; Michele Maiberger; Arnold Oshinsky; Boonkit Purt; Soo Y Shin; Alisa T Thavikulwat; Zhiyong Lu; Emily Y Chew Journal: Ophthalmology Date: 2022-01-03 Impact factor: 14.277