Glaucoma

Reuters recently reported on a new wave of drugs in development that it says will shake up glaucoma treatments. When the consumer media is giving your patients direct information about eye care, are you ready to answer their questions?

Glaucoma is a term that describes a family of progressive optic neuropathies. All of the glaucomas share characteristic and progressive cupping of the optic nerve head, and this cupping is most easily viewed by means of direct stereoscopic evaluation through a dilated pupil.

Check out our most-read glaucoma stories of 2014.

Reasons for thin CCT values as independent predictors of POAG have been relatively unclear, and there aren’t nearly as many studies concerning CCT as there are concerning risk factors such as IOP.

Neovascular glaucoma is a potentially devastating ocular consequence of pathologic neovascularization of intraocular tissue. The symptoms include vision loss caused by both the underlying etiology (such as retinal vascular disease) as well as increased intraocular pressure (IOP), often accompanied by corneal edema, hyphema, or vitreous hemorrhage.

Seems like everyone is focusing on baby boomers as they enter a new phase of their lives, but vision in particular is a big topic. And why wouldn’t it be? What is more critical to healthy aging than maintaining healthy vision?

Over the last decade, there has been rapid growth in the management of glaucoma. Innovative imaging technologies that aid in the diagnosis of this vision-threatening disease have also been on the rise. Instead of relying on a single diagnostic tool, clinicians may consider leveraging the benefits of several modalities available today.

According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), 7.7 million people age 40 and older have diabetic retinopathy, and this number is projected to increase to approximately 11 million people by 2030.

During the American Academy of Optometry's Academy 2014, panelists outlined the promise and potential pitfalls of cannabinoid-based therapies.

Your patients may have seen wife of rapper T.I. and reality star Tameka “Tiny” Harris appear on Good Morning America this week to reveal she had undergone surgery to permanently change her brown eyes to “ice gray,” sparking a national conversation about the safety of such a procedure.

A recent study published in the Journal of Glaucoma found that there was no detected increase in glaucoma risk with current, recent, or past use of systemic fluoroquinolones, but did find a minimal statistically significant increased risk with distant use.

A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology found that current use of moxifloxacin (Avelox, Bayer) or ciprofloxacin (Cipro, Bayer) appears to increase the risk for uveitis.

Bono, the iconic Irish rocker and front man for band U2, recently revealed on The Graham Norton Show that he does not wear his avant-garde designer shades for fashion alone.

Big optic nerves make me feel good. I find them easier to evaluate, and I don’t get as worked up about their respective big optic cups.

Despite some perceptions, generic pharmaceutical drugs are not necessarily less effective than their branded counterparts. But their true claim to fame is in cheaper pricing, undercutting the brand-name alternatives sometimes by orders of magnitude. But according to Dr. Milton Hom, OD, FAAO, price shouldn't take on the main consideration.

A 24-year-old was referred to the Ocular Disease Service at UAB Eye Care for a glaucoma evaluation. Other than a history of spectacle correction for myopic refractive error, the personal ophthalmic history is negative.

If talk of online eye exams has gotten the optometric profession’s dander up, then what I’m about to share with you will send an OD’s blood pressure into the stratosphere.

I recently came across a journal publication describing a patient with Crohn’s disease and open-angle glaucoma.1 Essentially, the patient’s treatment with topical latanoprost was associated with an exacerbation of her Crohn’s disease.

InnFocus, Inc. recently reported on a series of 43 glaucoma patients (n=34, 22, and 17 at one, two, and three years, respectively) treated with its MicroShunt implant.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAOphth) has reiterated its stance on medical marijuana for the treatment of glaucoma, stating that it finds no scientific evidence that marijuana is an effective long-term treatment for the disease, particularly when compared to the current prescription medication and surgical treatment available.

A study from the Centre for Eye Research Australia at the University of Melbourne found that comprehensive ophthalmologist and ophthalmology trainees who participated in an online multinational study to assess optic discs were about twice as likely to underestimate as to overestimate glaucoma risk.

Are there any absolute laws for glaucoma other than the broad few that govern its definition? Well, maybe not. Think about it. The word “typically” precedes much of what we say when we describe glaucoma outside of its definition. An example would be the fact that visual field loss is typically nasal at first. However, a temporal wedge defect may, at times, be the first defect to become manifest.

A recent study funded by the National Institute of Health found that the glaucoma drug acetazolamide (Diamox, Duramed Pharmaceuticals), when combined with a weight loss plan, can improve vision for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

A recent study found that metformin (Glumetza, Salix), a popular diabetes drug, is associated with a dose-dependent risk reduction for open-angle glaucoma.

The results of 2 clinical studies on latanosprostene bunod-CONSTELLATION and KRONUS- were presented during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting last week.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology held its annual conference in Orlando, FL, last week and Optometry Times’ sister publication, Ophthalmology Times, was there to catch up on the latest research on glaucoma, AMD, and other diseases.

I sometimes wonder why, in the rush to build the medical model, so many of my colleagues seemingly abandon the retail aspects of our profession. Many ODs seem to want to forget or diminish that our historical contribution to vision has been mainly centered around the correction, refractive, and binocular vision function and development.

The next time I see a patient with diabetic retinopathy who seems to be nonchalant or blasé regarding his condition, I’m going to say something along the lines of this: “Mr._______, this leaking of your blood vessels is going on elsewhere in your body, but your eyes just happen to be the only place we can see it without being invasive.”

The day before SECO in Atlanta, Chief Optometric Editor Ernie Bowling joined me to sit in on Allergan’s Pathways in Medical Optometry Boot Camp.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have designed a contact lens that can release controlled amounts of a glaucoma drug, delivering more consistent dosages of the drug than eye drops.