The top stories in glaucoma to enter the new year with

Going into 2026, what do we now know about glaucoma that we didn’t a year ago? The last quarter of 2025 brought on new clinical data and trial updates for the leading cause of irreversible blindness. In case you missed it, here are the top stories that wrapped up last year.

Study maps thermal dynamics of glaucoma laser treatments

Data from a new study examining the thermal dynamics of transscleral laser treatments for glaucoma have been released and spotlighted by Iridex.¹

The study evaluated thermal dynamics associated with continuous wave transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (CW-TSCPC) and transscleral laser therapy (TLT) using MicroPulse technology (MicroPulse TLT), such as:

1. Temperature peak
2. Exposure duration
3. Thermal spread in a simulated ciliary body using computer modeling

The study was led by Tomas M. Grippo, MD, of the Grippo Glaucoma & Cataract Center and provides the first quantitative computer models comparing the laser therapies mentioned, according to the company.

Read more

Systematic review finds driving negatively impacted by glaucomatous VF defects

A recent study published in Journal of Glaucoma suggests that driving can be negatively impacted by glaucomatous visual field defects, ultimately resulting in poorer driving performances and higher rates of motor vehicle collisions. The researchers conducted a literature search of MEDLINE and Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Sciences databases from 2003 to 2023 and concluded that more severe glaucomatous visual field and bilateral glaucoma is associated with poor driving performance in both simulator and real-world settings.

The study’s first author is Zhi Hong Toh, MMBS (S’pore), MMed (Ophth), FRCOphth, of the National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore.

Read more

Getting a pulse on glaucoma management with Dr Angela Wen

In an exclusive interview with Optometry Times, Angela Wen, OD, an optometrist practicing at NYU Langone Health, offers an insightful look into the contemporary landscape of glaucoma care, discussing key technologies, therapeutic approaches, professional growth strategies for optometrists, and the nuances of co-managing patients within a multidisciplinary setting.

Watch here

NCX 470 advances toward US, China NDA submissions for NCX 470

Nicox has announced it has acquired and analyzed all key data required to support the submission of new drug applications (NDAs) in the US and China for NCX 470.¹

NCX 470 is Nicox’s lead clinical product candidate and is a novel nitric oxide (NO)–donating bimatoprost eye drop that leverages the IOP-lowering effects of NO and prostaglandin analogs (PGAs) and is designed to release bimatoprost and NO into the eye to lower IOP by 2 different pathways in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. NCX 470 incorporates Nicox’s proprietary NO-donating research platform and bimatoprost in a single molecule.²

Read more

Detecting glaucoma progression based on multiple retinal layers' thickness

Thinning of the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) and the macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) is associated with progression of glaucoma at different stages of the disease, according to Alex T. Pham, MD, and coauthors, who published their findings in Ophthalmology.¹

He is from the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore. Coauthors Chris Bradley, PhD, and Jithin Yohannan, MD, MPH, are, respectively, from the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and the Wilmer Eye Institute and the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare, Johns Hopkins University.

Read more