Referral Pattern Changes Over a Decade in a Tertiary Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic.
Tumor or compressive lesion diagnoses became more common a decade later.
Referral Pattern Changes Over a Decade in a Tertiary Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinic.
To evaluate changes in referral patterns, including referral sources, patient demographics, and diagnostic patterns to a neuro-ophthalmology unit in a single tertiary medical center across two distinct three-year periods, a decade apart.
A retrospective database analysis of patients seen for their initial visit in the NO Unit at a tertiary Medical Center in Israel during January 1 st , 2007-December 31 st , 2009 (Group 1-1436 patients), and during January 1 st 2017-December 31 st 2019 (Group 2-2104 patients).
Patients in Group 2 were significantly older than those in Group 1 (p < 0.024).
There was a significant increase in referrals from ophthalmologists (p < 0.001) and pediatricians (p < 0.001), while referrals from neurologists (p < 0.006) and rehabilitation specialists (p < 0.003) declined, Diagnoses related to vision changes increased significantly over time (p <0.001).
The study demonstrated an increase in referrals to NO services and a demographic shift toward older patient population.
These findings emphasize the growing need for neuro-ophthalmologic expertise, particularly in the context of an aging population.
Multinomial regression further showed that diagnoses of pseudotumor cerebri and tumor/compressive lesions became significantly more common over the decade, highlighting evolving diagnostic trends that may inform resource allocation and future service planning.