Glaucoma

Ocular surface disease (OSD) and dry eye disease (DED) are very common problems in the elderly, and they both considerably decrease vision-related quality of life.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a new imaging technique that has the potential to move rapidly into routine clinical practice. OCTA comprises different OCT-based technologies, which enable the non-invasive assessment of retinal perfusion, based on red blood cell movement in the optic nerve head, the peripapillary and the macular retina.

As another year comes to an end, five members of Ophthalmology Times Europe’s Editorial Advisory Board reflect and share their perspectives on the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for ophthalmologists in 2018, whilst also considering the potential challenges.

Micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation utilises a different delivery modality than its predecessor, continuous-wave laser cycloablation, to produce a biological reaction without the lethal effects caused by thermal buildup.

High-intensity focused ultrasound cyclocoagulation is safe and effective in most refractory glaucomatous eyes. Complete success was achieved in 80% (24/30) of treated eyes that had undergone the maximum of three procedures.

A pioneering dye-based technique that enables aqueous humour outflow to be studied has the potential to improve glaucoma angle-based procedures and surgery outcomes.

An implantable glaucoma sensor has received CE mark approval for marketing in the European Union. The sensor (Eyemate, Implandata Ophthalmic Products) can provide frequent IOP readings, informing patients and their physicians about how the pressure changes by time of day and from one day to another.

The loss of autoantibodies may serve as useful biomarkers for glaucoma, according to Nadine von Thun Und Hohenstein-Blaul, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany, and colleagues.

The finding raises questions about whether the supplements could play a role in glaucoma, wrote H. Esfandiari of the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran and colleagues in the journal Eye.

Work is progressing on contact lenses that can monitor biomarkers in tear film for intraocular pressure, diabetes mellitus, and other health conditions.

Clinicians can predict which patients with ocular hypertension are most likely to develop primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) using short-wave automated perimetry, scanning laser polimetry, and confocal laser ophthalmoscopy, as well as the patient’s age, researchers said.

Although the diagnosis of primary congenital or early developmental glaucoma is often straightforward, similar phenotypic features can occur in other paediatric conditions, which are consequently sometimes mistaken for early childhood glaucoma. Ophthalmologists who care for children with glaucoma must keep such potential mimics in mind.

Despite predictions that the prevalence of APACG, a leading cause of blindness, is set to rise worldwide, some authors have reported a decline in certain countries.

Clinicians should take into account the way IOP varies over the course of 24 hours depending on the glaucoma treatment used, according to the authors of a new literature review.

Scheimpflug photography using a novel device (Sirius, Costruzione Strumenti Oftalmici) provides consistent measurements of the iridocorneal angle at different meridians in healthy eyes and could be used to detect occludable angles.

Cataract surgery appears to reduce the risk of glaucoma in eyes with pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome, researchers said.

Though ocular hypertension may be the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma, the second-leading cause of sight loss in the United Kingdom, monitoring for ocular hypertension more than twice a year is not efficient, researchers said.

Corneal asphericity, OCT angiography, and balance control issues in glaucoma patients are analyzed in this industry update roundup.

In patients taking PGAs for glaucoma, adherence to therapy may increase with the prescription of generic latanoprost, which has a lower copay than brand-name PGAs, according to a new study published online.

Lens extraction for PACG results in good long-term control of IOP, and should be considered among the armamentarium of approaches to treat PACG.

If the goal is to improve lamina cribrosa (LC) visibility, adaptive compensation (AC) is better than enhanced depth imaging (EDI), according to new research.

Higher IOP may be a predictable marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in some individuals, according to a study from South Korea.

iSTAR Medical SA announced that the first patient in its European multicentre clinical trial has been successfully implanted with the company's STARflo glaucoma drainage device.

A preservative-free IOP-lowering eye drop that is a combination of tafluprost and timolol (Taptiqom, Santen) is seeking national licences in European countries after a positive decentralized procedure and a final assessment report from reference member state Germany, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices of Germany, and agreement by concerned member states that the fixed-dose product is approvable.

Travoprost monotherapy has demonstrated long-term 24-hour efficacy for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

Anti-glaucoma preparations that do not contain benzalkonium chloride (BAK) were associated with a change in lubricant use in a study of 240 glaucoma patients, suggesting reduction in some ocular surface disease symptoms, according to research published online.

Endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP) and phacoemulsification cataract extraction, when combined, result in greater reduction of IOP and need for IOP-lowering medications over 3 years compared with cataract extraction by itself.

An international study led by King's College London has identified genetic links to glaucoma.

Severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is an important risk factor for developing glaucoma and must be treated in those who have it to improve control of the eye disease, according to new research.

In this article, comparative data is presented proving that trabeculectomy is more effective than non-penetrating options, however, does pose an increased risk of complications, leading to the conclusion that at the moment, procedures should be chosen on an individual basis.