Depression and mood indicators in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients

PURPOSE: To assess depression and mood indicators in subjects newly diagnosed with chronic open-angle glaucoma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of data from a randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Newly-diagnosed glaucoma patients enrolled in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) responded at baseline to quality-of-life (QOL) telephone interviews. We studied responses to the 33-item Visual Activities Questionnaire (VAQ), six items from a disease-specific Health Perceptions Index (HPI), and eight questions from the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). We correlated the responses to the HPI and the CES-D with visual acuity (VA) and CIGTS visual field (VF) as well as to the responses to the VAQ. RESULTS: VAQ score was correlated (P < .01 in all cases) with better VA (P = -0.181), better VF (P = 0.139), worse VA (P = -0.128), and worse VF (P = .120). There were also correlations (P ranging from .24 to .38, all P values < or = .001) between patients' perception of their vision (total VAQ score) and each item on the HPI and CES-D. None of the clinical vision measures were associated with any of the CES-D items. The strongest correlation between a clinical measure and an item from the HPI was between worse VF and worry about the possibility of blindness (P = -0.114, P = .005). The odds ratio of reporting mood indicators and symptoms of depression increased with patients' perceptions of worsening visual function but not worsening VA or VF. CONCLUSIONS: In these newly diagnosed glaucoma patients, symptoms of depression and altered mood were related to worse self-reported visual function as assessed by the VAQ, but not to monocular clinical measures of visual function.     

Quality of life in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients : The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study

OBJECTIVE: The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) was designed to determine whether patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma are better treated initially by medicine or immediate filtering surgery. This paper describes the quality-of-life (QOL) measurement approach, instruments included, and the CIGTS participants' QOL findings at the time of diagnosis. DESIGN: Baseline results from a randomized, controlled clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred seven patients from 14 clinical centers were enrolled. INTERVENTION: Patients randomized to initial medication received a stepped medical regimen (n = 307). Those randomized to initial surgery underwent a trabeculectomy (n = 300). The baseline interview was conducted before treatment initiation. All baseline and posttreatment QOL assessments were conducted by telephone from a centralized interviewing center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure described in this paper was QOL. The QOL instrument is multidimensional and incorporates both disease-specific and generic measures, including the Visual Activities Questionnaire, Sickness Impact Profile, and a Symptom and Health Problem CHECKLIST: RESULTS: The correlations between QOL measures and clinical outcomes were in the expected direction, but relatively weak. At initial diagnosis, difficulty with bright lights and with light and dark adaptation were the most frequently reported symptoms related to visual function, whereas visual distortion was the most bothersome. Approximately half of the patients reported at least some worry or concern about the possibility of blindness. Within the Visual Activities Questionnaire, higher scores on the Peripheral Vision subscale were associated with more field loss (P < 0.01). In regression analyses controlling for sociodemographics and nonocular comorbidities, increased visual field loss was significantly associated with higher dysfunction among five disease-specific QOL measures (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Newly diagnosed glaucoma patients reported experiencing some visual function symptoms at the time of diagnosis that would not be intuitively expected based on clinical testing. Some discussion about the association between clinical presentation and worry about blindness may reduce unnecessary concern. These results provide the basis for long-term comparisons of the QOL effects of initial medical and surgical treatment for open-angle glaucoma.     

Interim clinical outcomes in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study comparing initial treatment randomized to medications or surgery.

PURPOSE: To report interim outcome data, using all available follow-up through 5 years after treatment initiation, in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS). DESIGN: Randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: Six hundred seven newly diagnosed glaucoma patients. METHODS: In a randomized clinical trial, 607 patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma were initially treated with either medication or trabeculectomy (with or without 5-fluorouracil). After treatment onset and early follow-up, patients were evaluated clinically at 6-month intervals. In addition, quality of life telephone interviews were conducted at similar frequency to the clinical visits. Patients in both arms of CIGTS were treated aggressively in an effort to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) to a level at or below a predetermined target pressure specific for each individual eye. Visual field (VF) scores were analyzed by time-specific comparisons and by repeated measures models. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: VF loss was the primary outcome variable in CIGTS. Secondary outcomes of visual acuity (VA), IOP, and cataract were also studied. RESULTS: On the basis of completed follow-up through 4 years and partially completed through 5 years, VF loss did not differ significantly by initial treatment. Over the entire period of follow-up, surgical patients had a greater risk of substantial VA loss compared with medical patients. However, by 4 years after treatment, the average VA in the two groups was about equal. Over the course of follow-up, IOP in the medicine group has averaged 17 to 18 mmHg, whereas that in the surgery group averaged 14 to 15 mmHg. The rate of cataract requiring removal was greater in the surgically treated group. CONCLUSIONS: Both initial medical or initial surgical therapy result in about the same VF outcome after up to 5 years of follow-up. VA loss was greater in the surgery group, but the differences between groups seem to be converging as follow-up continues. When aggressive treatment aimed at substantial reduction in IOP from baseline is used, loss of VF can be seen to be minimal in general. Because 4 to 5 years of follow-up in a chronic disease is not adequate to draw treatment conclusions, these interim CIGTS outcomes do not support altering current treatment approaches to open-angle glaucoma.     

Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study: a summary of results to date

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes the key findings from the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS), which was designed to evaluate whether medical therapy or trabeculectomy is the better initial treatment for patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG). In addition to examining effects on visual field progression, intraocular pressure control, and visual acuity, the study also examined the effects of medical and surgical treatments on quality of life. RECENT FINDINGS: The 4+-year interim outcomes noted no significant difference in visual field loss between the medically and surgically treated patients. Patients assigned to trabeculectomy had lower intraocular pressures, but demonstrated a greater risk for significant loss of visual acuity and a threefold increased rate of cataract progression. Most quality-of-life measurements were similar in the two treatment arms, except local eye symptoms, which were reported more frequently by the surgically treated patients. SUMMARY: Results from CIGTS do not support altering current treatment practices in the initial management of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.     

Ergebnisse der „Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study“ (CIGTS)

The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) was initiated to evaluate whether local medical therapy or trabeculectomy is the better initial treatment for patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma. Visual field progression, intraocular pressure, and visual acuity were to be monitored for a period of 5 years. A total of 607 patients were randomly distributed among the two groups and controlled at 6-month intervals. At the same time the investigators tried to record quality of life using a questionnaire. Both trabeculectomy and medical therapy were able to lower intraocular pressure significantly, whereas trabeculectomy was more effective. The results of the questionnaire showed only minor differences between the two groups. The medically treated patients reported slightly more ocular symptoms than the patients in the trabeculectomy group.     

青光眼视野损害的评价方法

青光眼是眼科常见的不可逆性致盲眼病,其主要损害是视网膜神经节细胞（RGCs）及其轴突的变性和丢失,最终可导致视野损害和视力下降。视野检查是青光眼早期诊断以及随访过程中观察病情进展最重要的视功能检查方法,但由于视野检查存在较强的主观性,因此如何建立客观、规范的视野评价和分析方法一直受到青光眼学者们的关注。就目前临床及研究中常用的视野缺损分级方法,包括视野指数、青光眼半视野检测（GHT）、晚期青光眼干预研究（AGIS）评分法、早期青光眼试验（EMGT）评分法、多中心青光眼初始治疗研究（CIGTS）评分法等,及其优缺点进行综述,希望能够对临床及科学研究中视野评价方法的选择有所帮助。     

Comparison of different methods for detecting glaucomatous visual field progression

PURPOSE: To compare the performance characteristics of seven methods for analyzing glaucomatous visual field progression, using a combination of real patient data and computer simulation techniques. METHODS: The initial and final visual field results, separated by 7 years and measured with the full-threshold 30-2 program of the Humphrey Field Analyzer (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA) of 76 patients with open-angle glaucoma were used. A computer simulation program generated 14 interim semiannual visual fields under conditions of high, moderate, and no variability. Progression was analyzed using the methods of the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS), the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS), three criteria based on the Glaucoma Change Probability (GCP) analysis, and two criteria based on point-wise linear regression analysis (PLRA). Specificities were calculated by using the same visual field of each patient as both the initial and final field (no progression) under conditions of moderate and high variability. RESULTS: Under the no-variability condition, progression rates were 18% for the AGIS, 36% for CIGTS, 47% to 62% for the three GCP methods, and 72% and 84% for the two PLRA methods. Progression rates increased with greater variability with the three GCP methods and decreased with all other methods. The time to detect confirmed progression was longest for the PLRA methods and shortest for the CIGTS and GCP methods. Under the moderate-variability condition, all methods yielded high specificity. The AGIS, CIGTS, and one of the GCP and PLRA methods were relatively resistant to high variability and maintained high specificities. CONCLUSIONS: The AGIS and CIGTS methods had high specificity, but classified fewer cases of progression than the other methods. The GCP methods determined progression earliest; however, they were generally not as specific. Methods based on PLRA were specific but times to confirmed progression were the longest.     

Correlation of visual field with quality-of-life measures at diagnosis in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS).

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between various clinical measures of visual field and patient-reported measures of symptoms and health status in a large cohort of patients with glaucoma at the time of diagnosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The 607 patients in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study received standardized examinations of visual field at enrollment. In addition, they completed a telephone-administered, health-related quality-of-life questionnaire, which included the Visual Activities Questionnaire (VAQ) and a symptom and health problem checklist. RESULTS: The Visual Activities Questionnaire total and subscale scores, particularly the peripheral vision subscale, correlated weakly but significantly with global visual field scores. Symptoms attributed to glaucoma also correlated weakly but significantly to visual field scores. Correlations with other visual field measures, including only central and pericentral test locations in the scores, did not strengthen the association, and simulating binocular visual field scores produced only slightly stronger correlations. CONCLUSIONS: At diagnosis, most patients were relatively free of glaucoma-related impairments. Various visual field measures derived from clinical visual field test data were only modestly associated with patients' perceptions of health-related quality of life. As the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study population is followed up longitudinally, it will be important to see whether these pertinent associations become stronger.     

Ocular hypertension and glaucoma: the contribution of large studies to daily practice

Official guidelines to manage and treat various clinical presentations of glaucoma and ocular hypertension are not currently in wide use. Several well-designed clinical trials have been published recently which can provide ophthalmologists with therapeutic recommendations. In the field of ocular hypertension, three major and historic studies are reported and discussed in this review. A more recent study undertaken in Sweden and the design of the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) are reviewed as well, although the final results of this important trial have not yet been published. The conclusions of the Collaborative Normal Tension Study Group (CNTSG) have been expected for a long time since this disease is difficult to manage; a 30% reduction in baseline intraocular pressure avoids further deterioration of the visual field in most patients. Other studies have dealt with different strategies in open angle glaucoma. The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) has investigated different therapeutic sequences in advanced glaucoma while the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) and the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial (EMGT), still in progress, have evaluated the efficacy and safety of surgery versus medical treatment and treatment versus no treatment, respectively, in new and low-grade glaucoma. These long-term studies have led to a better approach to ocular hypertension, normal tension glaucoma, initial glaucoma, and advanced glaucoma. This review presents the characteristics of these clinical studies, points out the problems linked to giving a fair and practical interpretation, and attempts to draw useful guidelines for daily clinical practice.     

Progression of visual field loss in untreated glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspects in St. Lucia,West Indies

PURPOSE: A 1986-1987 survey found 8.8% prevalence of open-angle glaucoma in the black population of St. Lucia, West Indies. This follow-up study assessed visual field loss progression in untreated glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspects 10 years later. DESIGN: Cohort study. METHODS: Subjects were 205 glaucoma patients and suspects; 1987 data included age, sex, visual acuity, and visual fields measured by automated threshold perimetry (Humphrey C 30-2 test), and 1997 data included intraocular pressure, visual acuity, and visual fields measured by the same test. Exclusion criteria included field unreliability, field improvement due to vision improvement, nonglaucomatous vision deterioration, glaucoma treatment since 1988, and scoring of a visual field as end stage in 1987. Visual fields were scored by algorithms for the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) and Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS). RESULTS: By AGIS criteria, 55% of 146 right eyes and 52% of 141 left eyes showed progression of visual field loss. In linear regressions, progression severity was unassociated with sex, intraocular pressure, or baseline visual field score, but was positively associated with age (P <.001, right; P =.002, left). The cumulative probability of reaching end stage in 10 years in at least one eye was approximately 16% by AGIS criteria. By CIGTS criteria, 73% of 146 right eyes and 72% of 141 left eyes progressed. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide a unique opportunity to study progression of untreated glaucoma. The percentage of eyes showing visual field loss progression and the percentage reaching end stage were considerably higher than in studies of visual field progression in treated eyes.     

The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study: study design, methods, and baseline characteristics of enrolled patients

OBJECTIVE: The Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) is a randomized, controlled clinical trial designed to determine whether patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma (primary, pigmentary, or pseudoexfoliative) are better treated by initial treatment with medications or by immediate filtration surgery. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 607 patients with open-angle glaucoma were enrolled. INTERVENTION: Patients randomized to initial medications (n=307) received a stepped regimen of medications to lower intraocular pressure. Those randomized to initial surgery (n=300) underwent trabeculectomy to lower intraocular pressure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Progression in visual field loss constitutes the study's primary outcome variable. Secondary outcomes include health-related quality of life, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure. RESULTS: Randomized assignment resulted in a balanced distribution between treatment groups for most demographic and clinical measures assessed at enrollment. More males than females were enrolled (55% were males), and a substantial percentage (38.1 %) of enrollees were blacks. Most enrollees (90.6%) were diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma; the remainder had either pseudoexfoliative (4.8%) or pigmentary (4.6%) forms of open-angle glaucoma. CONCLUSIONS: Follow-up of this well-characterized group of patients should provide well-rounded guidance, based on both traditional ophthalmic measures and patients' perspectives on their health-related quality of life, on how best to initially treat open-angle glaucoma.     

Scoring systems for measuring progression of visual field loss in clinical trials of Glaucoma treatment

ObjectivesTo compare the statistical properties of two visual field scoring systems used by clinical trials of glaucoma treatments with a view to their performance as longitudinal measures of visual field progression.DesignCohort study comparing the scoring systems used by the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) and the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) using pairs of visual fields (C-30-2 of the Humphrey Analyzer) spaced 1 year apart.ParticipantsSixty-seven eyes of 56 subjects with glaucomatous visual field loss from a natural history study of glaucoma were examined.MethodsBecause both scoring systems are scaled so that they range from 0 to 20, the AGIS and CIGTS scores were compared by scatterplot, Pearson correlation, and the mean difference between scores. The difference between pairs of scores 1 year apart was used to compare the temporal variability of each scoring system. The proportion of subjects whose visual field “deteriorated” in 1 year by the amount specified for unconfirmed progression in each clinical trial was calculated.Main outcome measuresMean difference in scores 1 year apart and the variance of these differences were measured.ResultsThe median scores for the first of the two fields was 5.2 (interquartile range [IQR] = 9.8) for CIGTS and 5.0 (IQR = 7.0) for AGIS. The CIGTS scores were slightly larger than AGIS scores by an average of 0.5 (P = 0.06). The mean CIGTS score of the baseline fields was 0.06 (standard deviation = 3.8) higher than the mean of the second fields and 0.12 (standard deviation = 2.8) higher for AGIS. Fifteen percent of eyes had CIGTS scores that deteriorated by three or more (the cutoff for unconfirmed progression) over 1 year, while 7.5% of eyes had AGIS scores that deteriorated by four or more (the AGIS cutoff for unconfirmed progression) over the same period. Twenty-one percent improved by CIGTS criteria, while 12% improved by AGIS criteria.ConclusionsCIGTS scores are systematically slightly higher than AGIS scores. The CIGTS scoring system has higher temporal variability than the AGIS system. The CIGTS criterion for unconfirmed progression over a 1-year period is likely to lead to higher estimated rates of progression than the AGIS criteria. This is mostly because of the difference in the definition of progression between the two study criteria.     

Relevance of quality of life and treatment compliance measurement in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma

Chronic glaucoma is a severe disease that can induce blindness.Early diagnosis and symptomatic treatment reduce the risk of blindness. Treatment that will be started before the onset of clinical signs and will remain lifelong thereafter is troublesome, and therapeutic compliance is usually poor. Thus, quality of life (QOL) measurement in patients with chronic glaucoma has a particular purpose: to measure patients' perception of the disease and treatment in order to maintain good treatment compliance to ensure therapeutic management efficacy and to preserve visual function. No glaucoma-specific instrument is available in the medical and QOL literature. Various generic(SF-36, SF-20 and SIP) and specific(VAQ, VF-14, NEI-VFQ) QOL questionnaires,one glaucoma-specific symptomatic scale (GSS),and one treatment preference scale (COMTol) have been used to measure QOL in glaucoma patients. These instruments do not sufficiently measure the psychosocial dimension of the disease and the QOL impact of treatment. An instrument able to measure all dimensions needs to be developed in order to help ophthalmologists in the therapeutic management of their patients and to measure QOLin patients in the successive stages of the disease.     

The collaborative initial glaucoma treatment study: baseline visual field and test-retest variability

PURPOSE: To compare the baseline Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) visual field (VF) score and mean deviation (MD), investigate test-retest variability, and identify variables associated with VF loss and VF measurement variability. METHODS: Baseline data from a randomized clinical trial of 607 patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma were collected at 14 clinical centers. The CIGTS VF score and MD were obtained from 24-2 VF tests (Zeiss-Humphrey Systems, Dublin, CA) at two visits approximately 2 weeks apart. RESULTS: Although most baseline CIGTS VF scores showed limited field loss, 15% (91/607) of patients showed a substantial deficit (VF score >10 on a 0-20 scale). A small but significant learning effect was seen over the two baseline measures for CIGTS VF score and MD. CIGTS VF score and MD correlate highly (r = -0.93); both have high test-retest correlation (0.83 and 0.91, respectively). Variables associated with greater baseline VF loss for both CIGTS VF score and MD include (probabilities for VF only): male sex (P = 0.018), black race (P 相似文献   

Converting to SITA-standard from full-threshold visual field testing in the follow-up phase of a clinical trial

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of converting from Humphrey 24-2 full-threshold (FT) visual field (VF) testing to SITA-Standard (SS) VF testing during the follow-up phase of a clinical trial. METHODS: VF data were obtained from 243 patients in the Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) who had follow-up visits in 2004. FT and SS VF tests were performed in random order on the same day. RESULTS: The average duration of the SS test (6.3 minutes) was shorter (P < 0.0001, paired t-test) than the FT test (11.8 minutes). The mean deviation did not differ between SS and FT testing. A small difference was found in the pattern SD (PSD) (P = 0.02). The mean CIGTS score from the FT test (4.5) was significantly lower (P < 0.0001) than the mean CIGTS score from the SS test (6.0). Although the two tests yielded identical Glaucoma Hemifield Test (GHT) results in 179 patients (76%), 16 patients had a normal GHT result on FT testing and an SS test result that was outside normal limits. Six patients had the reverse finding. The most significant factor associated with an increased (positive) difference between the CIGTS VF score generated from SS and FT testing was conducting the FT test first (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although SS and FT testing yielded very similar mean deviation results, the CIGTS VF score and GHT differed between SS and FT tests. Changing the approach used to measuring a study's primary VF outcome should be accompanied by a critical evaluation of the change's impact.     

标准白色视野与蓝／黄视野检测不同阶段青光眼视野的对比研究

目的比较自动标准白色视野计（white-on-white perimetry,啪w）和蓝／黄视野计（blue-on-bellow perimetry,B/Y）检测不同阶段青光眼视野损害的敏感性。设计横断面调查。研究对象青光眼患者42例（71眼）。方法采用HumphreyⅡ-750型自动视野计对青光眼患者进行B／Y及W｜W检查。根据晚期青光跟治疗研究（Advanced GlaucomaIntervention Study,AGlS）视野评分标准,将青光眼患者分早、中、晚三组,运用青光眼首选治疗研究（collaborative initial glaucoma treatment study,CIGTS）方法,对视野缺损进行评分。比较三组不同时期青光眼应用两种视野计检查,在视野平均缺损（Meandeviation,MD）、模式标准差（Pattern Standard Deviation,PSD）、CIGTS评分方面的差异。主要指标视野的平均缺损、模式标准差、CIGTS评分。结果两种视野计检查MD的均值结果在早、中期青光眼组,B／Y检测的MD（-8．65dB±3．89dB;-14．94dB±3．22dB）较w／W（-3．29dB±2．40dB;-10．04dB±2．73dB）低,t=9．21,P〈0．001及t=-4．89,P〈0．001;在晚期青光眼组,B／Y检测的MD（-22．07dB±2．64dB）较w／w（-25．20dB±5．48dB）高,t=3．93,P〈0．001。两种视野计检查PSD的均值结果,在早期青光眼组,B／Y检测的PSD（4．17dB±1．20dB）较W／W（3．22dB±2．90dB）高,t=2．12,P〈0．05;在中、晚期青光眼组,B／Y检测的PSD较W/W低（t=-3．04,P〈0．01,t=-2．96,P〈0．001）。两种视野计CIGTS评分的均值结果,在早期青光眼组,B／Y的CIGTS评分（5．35±3．83）较W/W（3．36±3．12）高,t=2．67,P〈0．05）;在中、晚期青光眼组,B／Y的CIGTS评分较W/W低,t-4131,P〈0．05及t=-4．02,P〈0．001。结论对于早期青光眼的视野检测,B/Y较W/W敏感,但对于中晚期青光眼,W/W视野较B／Y更敏感。对于早期青光眼及可疑青光眼采用B／Y视野检测较敏感,而对于中晚期青?     

Penetrating keratoplasty in iridocorneal endothelial syndrome

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical outcome of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome. METHODS: Clinical charts of patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty for ICE syndrome between 1985 and 1999 were reviewed retrospectively. Glaucoma control, best corrected visual acuity pre- and post-PK, graft clarity, graft rejection episodes, improvement in pain, and additional procedures were analyzed. RESULTS: Fourteen cases were reviewed with an average follow-up of 58 months after PK. Initial grafts failed in seven patients (50%), in six cases because of rejection, and one owing to endothelial failure without signs of rejection. Repeat PKs were performed in six patients. At final follow-up, 12 grafts were clear. Glaucoma was controlled pre- and post-PK (average intraocular pressure, 16 mmHg for both eyes). Pre-PK, eight patients were using glaucoma medicines and nine had had glaucoma surgery. At the end of the follow-up, seven patients were using glaucoma medicines; six patients required glaucoma surgery after their initial PK. At the final follow-up visit, visual acuity in three patients (21%) was 20/40 or better, it ranged from 20/50 to 20/100 in four patients (29%) and 20/200 to 20/400 in five patients (36%), and in two patients with failed grafts (14%) it was counting fingers or worse. CONCLUSION: Clear grafts were achieved in 12 cases, although six patients (43%) underwent repeat PKs. All patients had glaucoma, which was controlled before and after PK by medical treatment and surgical procedures. Favorable outcomes can be achieved in patients with ICE syndrome but may require multiple corneal and glaucoma procedures.     

A deep dive into the latest European Glaucoma Society and Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society guidelines and their relevance to India

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in India. Despite advances in diagnosing and managing glaucoma, there is a lack of India-specific clinical guidelines on glaucoma. Ophthalmologists often refer to the European Glaucoma Society (EGS) and Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society (APGS) guidelines. A group of glaucoma experts was convened to review the recently released EGS guideline (fifth edition) and the APGS guideline and explore their relevance to the Indian context. This review provides the salient features of EGS and APGS guidelines and their utility in Indian scenario. Glaucoma diagnosis should be based on visual acuity and refractive errors, slit-lamp examination, gonioscopy, tonometry, visual field (VF) testing, and clinical assessment of optic nerve head, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and macula. The intraocular pressure target must be individualized to the eye and revised at every visit. Prostaglandin analogues are the most effective medications and are recommended as the first choice in open-angle glaucoma (OAG). In patients with cataract and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), phacoemulsification alone or combined phacoemulsification and glaucoma surgery are recommended. Trabeculectomy augmented with antifibrotic agents is recommended as the initial surgical treatment for OAG. Laser peripheral iridotomy and surgery in combination with medical treatment should be considered in high-risk individuals aged <50 years. In patients with phakic and PACG, phacoemulsification alone or combined phacoemulsification and glaucoma surgery are recommended. Visual acuity, VF testing, clinical assessment of the optic disc and RNFL, and tonometry are strongly recommended for monitoring glaucoma progression.     

Clinical experience with the double-plate Ahmed glaucoma valve

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve. DESIGN: Multicenter, retrospective observational case series. METHODS: We reviewed 50 eyes in 50 patients treated with the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve with mean follow-up of 11.7+/-7.9 months. RESULTS: Average intraocular pressure was reduced from 36.0+/-12.4 mm Hg before surgery to 15.8+/-7.7 mm Hg at the most recent follow-up after surgery (P<.001). The number of glaucoma medications was decreased from 3.3+/-0.8 before surgery to 1.4+/-1.4 after surgery (P<.001). The percent of success was 76% of eyes at the latest follow-up. Choroidal effusion occurred in four eyes (8%) and did not require surgical treatment in any eye. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a poor prognosis group of patients in this study, the double-plate Ahmed Glaucoma Valve was effective in lowering intraocular pressure with a low incidence of complications associated with hypotony.     

青光眼的中枢神经系统改变

青光眼是一组以进行性视网膜神经节细胞(RGCs)凋亡、视神经纤维层丢失为特征的神经退行性疾病.大量研究证明,青光眼患者在RGCs、视神经、视交叉、视束、外侧膝状体、视放射、大脑枕叶视皮质整个视觉通路上均出现了病理改变,青光眼是整个视觉通路在多层次、多因素损害的基础上出现的复杂综合症群.从视觉通路多级神经元水平更深入地研究青光眼视觉通路损害的特征,及时发现青光眼患者整个视觉通路的早期微小变化,重新认识疾病,开发新的临床诊治方法,早诊断、早治疗,有效延缓青光眼致盲进程,日益成为眼科学界和神经科学界关注的焦点.本文将从青光眼性中枢神经系统损害的表现、青光眼中枢神经系统损伤可能存在的机制、研究青光眼中枢神经损伤的意义几个方面就青光眼的中枢神经系统改变研究进展进行综述.