Table 1.
Focus group participant suggestions on what topics/themes should be included in the video that African American patients watch before glaucoma visits.
| THEME |
|---|
| What is Glaucoma? |
| “Do some general education things about how important of a disease glaucoma is; how many people have it in the US, worldwide; what are the risk factors; things like that because one of the questions that we always ask patients that they don’t necessarily know and sometimes aren’t prepared to answer is family history.” -Provider |
| “A lot of people confuse eye pressure and blood pressure.” -Provider |
| “People feel overwhelmed. The impact of the doctor (explaining and thinking) “Am I really going to go blind?”-Patient |
| Purpose of Glaucoma Treatment |
| “[My doctor] showed a painting, and it was very cloudy. It was blurred, and he was showing that what is an end-point for glaucoma. So, that’s what happens if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do.” -Patient |
| “So, one of my themes is my goal of treatment is to maintain the vision you have. I cannot restore the vision that you have lost.” -Provider |
| “The thing that we focus on is how you do things that prevent things negative from happening. ‘Here are the things that are going to make your life better and improve on your life or keep you still seeing as best you can during your lifetime.’” -Patient |
| “‘What is my intraocular pressure?’ depends on the person. 10 might be good, 11 might be good, 12 might be good. Usually your doctor tells you where he wants you to be.” -Patient |
| Glaucoma Testing |
| “Everybody hates the visual field, and I always tell them: ‘Don’t worry because everybody hates the visual field, but the machine knows you hate it, but it will still do its job, so just do the best you can.’ … I tell the patients that the machine is designed for you to fail 50% of the time, and then it puts patients at ease.” -Provider |
| “I would tell them that they should not have high anxiety about the (visual field) test because it certainly will not harm them. It’s designed to help them, and I would go, like, it’s just thin lights.”-Patient |
| “Incorporate the test as part of the video then that kind of explains why it’s important to do it even though we do not like it” -Patient |
| Treatment Adherence |
| “A suggestion for time because even though it may be difficult, you still are supposed to take it according to the prescription or you’ll go blind. I would suggest how people could take medication four times a day, like, the beginning time, the second time, third time, fourth time.” -Patient |
| “Do the right thing. You could show a gentlemen with a walking stick and then at the end he is walking without the stick because he did the right thing”. -Patient |
| “Is there any particular way that you had to put drops in your eyes?” -Patient |
| “Take your drops and come to the doctor; take your drops.” -Patient |