Glaucoma

Using a telemedicine system to assist ophthalmologists in developing countries with the diagnosis and management of various ophthalmic conditions can be successful.

New developments in diagnostic technology should enable better screening and follow-up of refractive surgery patients, said Dan Z. Reinstein, MD, delivering a keynote address during the refractive surgery subspecialty day preceding the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in November 2007.

Researchers from the University of Iowa, USA have discovered that a gene and related signaling pathway play a role in the development of glaucoma.

A travoprost - travoprost/timolol (T-TT) treatment sequence is more effective at preventing the need for a third-line treatment than a latanoprost - latanoprost/timolol (L-LT) treatment sequence.

The Pulsair EasyEye non-contact tonometer (Keeler) can be considered an accurate and reliable method of measuring intraocular pressure (IOP) in the normotensive population but it cannot be used interchangeably with the Goldmann tonometer.

Latanoprost offers a more cost-effective strategy for the treatment of glaucoma than either dorzolamide or brimonidine.

Deep sclerectomy with the SkGel implant (Corneal Laboratories) provides stable, long-term control of intraocular pressure (IOP) and visual field .

A fixed combination of dorzolamide and timolol significantly increase blood flow at the neuroretinal rim, demonstrating a combination of hypotensive and haemodynamic effects.

The gene sFRPI plays a key role in glaucoma development, and researchers from the University of Iowa (UI) have found that an over-expression of the gene raises fluid pressure in the eyes.

Today there are an increasing number of medications for glaucoma. But as yet we are still in the Dark Ages insofar as the cause of this visually disabling disorder.

Medically well-controlled glaucoma patients and patients with exfoliation syndrome may experience intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation shortly after cataract surgery. This can be controlled by the instillation of timolol maleate 0.5%.

Choroidal drainage can be a safe and effective interventional procedure for patients presenting with acute angle closure secondary to Topiramate toxicity.

Patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) are more likely to have abnormal Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scores in the areas that focus upon concerns of somatic complaints and poor health.

Ophthalmologists in more than 34 countries around the globe are busy planning events for World Glaucoma Day on March 6th to alert people to the devastating effects of glaucoma and the importance of having their eyes examined.

With increasing numbers of patients undergoing filtration surgery with the Ex-PRESS Miniature Glaucoma devices (Optonol), anterior segment surgeons should be aware of the potential for device exposure.

Glaucoma may be associated with an increased rate of mortality in adults.

Glaucomatous patients can safely obtain self-tonometry measurements after applying a topical anaesthetic to their eye.

Escalating treatment for glaucoma patients who have undergone penetrating keratoplasty (PK) significantly increases the risk of graft failure and poor visual outcomes.

Prostaglandin analogues preserved with benzalkonium chloride (BAK) can cause more extensive loss of goblet cells and a breakdown of cell-cell adhesions, which could increase the risk of ocular surface disease, according to findings from a pair of studies conducted in rabbits.

It has long been noticed that one side effect of the glaucoma drug Lumigan (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution; Allergan) is increased eyelash growth, however, nobody could have predicted that cosmetic companies would start using small quantities of prostaglandins in products specifically designed for the "beauty" market.

Treatment with bimatoprost (Lumigan; Allergan) alone is as effective at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) as a fixed combination of latanoprost and timolol.

NicOx and Pfizer have initiated a dose-ranging Phase II clinical study of PF-03187207, a treatment for glaucoma, in Japan.

SLT presents a safe and efficacious treatment option for pseudoexfoliative glaucoma patients.

A look back at what has happened in the field of glaucoma in 2007 and what we can look forward to in 2008.

With additional training, optometrists are at least as accurate as junior ophthalmologists in diagnosing glaucoma.