Interventional Glaucoma

Organizers of the first-ever World Glaucoma Day are calling the international effort a success, with "amazing achievements" that helped raise awareness about the dangers of glaucoma and the need for screenings and treatment.

The World Glaucoma Day inspired glaucoma specialists around the world to rally local support in order to undertake an enormous task: to reduce the number of people who are unnecessarily going blind from a treatable condition.

The current gold standard for measuring intraocular pressure (IOP), the Goldmann tonometer (GAT), has considerable flaws. Dr Goldmann designed his tonometer to provide accurate measurements in eyes with average corneas, but we now know that many corneas vary significantly from the "average".

The medical treatment of glaucoma is limited by patient adherence to medications. By the end of a year, approximately half of patients are not refilling their medications as directed, and physicians are not able to tell those who are from those who are not.

Studies have demonstrated that SLT is a safe and effective means of treatment, and comparable in these respects to ALT, but how does SLT fare against ALT in the long-term? It was our mission to establish this.

Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been used for over 10 years to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG) as well as ocular hypertension (OHT). Studies have demonstrated that SLT is a safe and effective means of treatment, and comparable in these respects to Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty (ALT), but how does SLT fare against ALT in the long-term? It was our mission to establish this.

Poor health literacy is contributing to disease progression among glaucoma patients, according to a study published in the May 2008 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Using a microcatheter to perform 360° trabeculectomy is a safer and more consistent way to treat congenital glaucoma than traditional trabeculectomy, according to information presented at this year's meeting of the American Glaucoma Society (AGS).

Extraction of cataracts lowers intraocular pressure (IOP) to normal levels in glaucoma patients, and may in fact be a better treatment option than combined surgery, according to a study presented at this year's meeting of the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.

Patients with a positive family history of glaucoma are 10 times as likely to have visual field (VF) defects at the time of their diagnosis, according to a study published in the April issue of Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, the official Journal of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

Taflotan (tafluprost; Santen Oy), a benzalkonium chloride (BAK)-free prostaglandin analogue for the treatment of glaucoma, has received marketing authorization in Denmark and Germany, making it the first preservative-free prostaglandin eye drop to be approved.

The World Glaucoma Day inspired glaucoma specialists around the world to rally local support in order to undertake an enormous task: to reduce the number of people who are unnecessarily going blind from a treatable condition.

QLT Plug Delivery, Inc. has demonstrated proof of concept of its punctal plug drug delivery technology, showing that it is both well tolerated and effective at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP).

Vidus Ocular, Inc, the developer of the Aquashunt device for glaucoma, has been acquired by OPKO Health, Inc.

The addition of bevacizumab (Avastin) to trabeculectomy improves the success rate of IOP control, particularly in young diabetic patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG), according to a study published online, ahead of print, by Eye.

The safety of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for the treatment of glaucoma is being investigated prospectively in a multicenter study.

IOP can be reduced significantly by an anterior juxtascleral depot of anecortave acetate, according to study results presented on a poster at this year's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

PF-03187207, an experimental glaucoma treatment that was being developed by NicOx and Pfizer, has been shown in Phase II testing to be more effective in lowering IOP under certain circumstances than Pfizer's Xalatan (latanoprost) 0.005%, but it will not be advanced into Phase III testing, Pfizer has announced.

Three separate studies on eye health examine the role of antioxidant supplements, the relationship of visual acuity and mortality, and the causes of glaucoma in the May 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

A five-minute test in which a patient is tilted produces peak IOP detection levels comparable to standard water drinking tests, according to a poster presented at this year's meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) showed that substantially lowering IOP, whether through medication or surgery, can prevent vision loss. One of the major trials of recent years, CIGTS also showed that surgery was an effective first-line treatment and had important findings on quality of life.

The iCare tonometer (Tiolat) has been approved for use in China by the country's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA); the tonometer is now approved in every major global market.

The presence of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) has no impact on the safety or efficacy of travoprost in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), according to a study published in the April/May 2008 issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Paediatric cataract surgery, particularly when performed in patients under the age of nine months, entails a substantial risk of post-surgical glaucoma, according to a study published in the January 2008 issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science.

Young male glaucoma sufferers are most likely to discontinue their treatment at a glaucoma clinic during the first year of follow-up, according to a study published in the April/May 2008 issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.