Economics of high-frequency home monitoring versus clinic-based perimetry
Clinic perimetry is very reliable but requires specialized equipment (like a Humphrey Field Analyzer) and trained staff. It can be costly and...
Quality-adjusted Life Year
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quality-adjusted life year
A quality-adjusted life year is a way to measure health outcomes that combines both the length of time someone lives and the quality of that life. One quality-adjusted life year, often shortened to a single unit, represents one year lived in perfect health. If a year is lived with illness or disability, it counts for less than one unit depending on how much that condition reduces quality of life. For example, a year lived with moderate symptoms might be counted as 0.5 or 0.7 of a quality-adjusted life year, so two such years could equal one full unit. This measure matters because it lets doctors, researchers, and policymakers compare very different treatments and health programs using a common yardstick. By combining quantity and quality, it helps answer questions like whether a new drug is worth its cost compared with existing care. It also highlights trade-offs—investing in treatments that add many low-quality years may be less valuable than treatments that add fewer years of high quality. The approach has limits: the way quality is measured can be subjective and may not capture everything people value. Still, it provides a practical tool for thinking about how to use limited health resources to achieve the best overall health outcomes for a population.