Changes in Glaucoma Medication during the Past Eight Years and Future Directions in Japan Based on an Insurance Medical Claim Database

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in the status of glaucoma care between 2006 and 2013 and to predict future directions of glaucoma care in Japan. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Japanese subjects registered in the largest national insurance claim database in Japan from 2006 to 2013 were analyzed. Estimations of the number of glaucoma patients during the past eight years and of the number of future patients were calculated. Changes in prescription trends among the same patients in the three-year period after initiating antiglaucoma medication were also investigated. RESULTS: There was a total of 3,016,000 subjects in the database. The proportion of glaucoma patients increased consistently from 2.5% in 2006 to 4.5% in 2013. This trend was predicted to continue until 2025, followed by a constant decrease with age. The most frequently prescribed antiglaucoma medications were prostaglandin analogues (PGs); however, in recent years, fixed combination therapy has emerged as a major treatment. Among 2856 newly diagnosed glaucoma patients; 94.7% of the patients initially received a single medication, but 25% of the patients received additional medications within 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of glaucoma patients has significantly increased during the past eight years. The number of antiglaucoma medications continuously increased during the treatment period.