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Abstract #15626 Published in IGR 1-3
Clinical and laboratory findings in open-angle glaucoma
Sawaguchi SFolia Ophthalmologica Japonica / Nihon Ganka Kiyo 1999; 50: 519-524
Open-angle glaucoma is a well-known ocular disease characterized by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) that leads to loss of visual function. Types of open-angle glaucoma include primary open-angle glaucoma, glaucoma occurring after blunt trauma, steroid-induced glaucoma, and capsular glaucoma. Elevation of IOP plays a key role in the loss of visual function in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Optic disc findings almost identical to those in human eyes with open-angle glaucoma have been noted in primate eyes with elevation of IOP resulting from repeated laser photocoagulation of the angle. These optic disc findings in primate eyes can usually be clearly differentiated from other types of optic neuropathy and optic atrophy, and thus many authors, including the present authors, have studied glaucomatous disc changes using this model. The recent recognition of normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) as a major form of open-angle glaucoma may lead to a new definition of open-angle glaucoma and to an increase in the prevalence of open-angle glaucoma in Japan, due to the increasing number of patients with NTG. Routine follow-up examinations of patients with glaucoma must include measurements of IOP, visual field examination, and evaluation of the optic discs. Especially for patients with NTG, accurate appreciation of glaucomatous disc findings is critical because misreading or misdiagnosing the findings may significantly alter the prognosis for such patients. For patients with open-angle glaucoma, trabeculectomy with mitomycin C provides advantages that significantly outweigh the disadvantages of such surgery. In addition, new surgical procedures for open-angle glaucoma have been developed over the past two decades.LA: Japanese
Dr. S. Sawaguchi, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Ryukyu, Faculty of Medicine, 207 Aza Uehara, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0215; Japan
