Research Updates

Glaucoma
Researchers have found that immediate treatment of people who have early stage — open-angle — glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. This finding supports the medical community’s emerging consensus that treatment for lowering pressure inside the eye can slow glaucoma damage and subsequent  vision loss.

In a study — known as Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial (EMGT) — the researchers followed 255 patients, aged 50-80 years, with early stage, open-angle glaucoma in at least one eye. One group (129 patients) was treated immediately with medicines and laser to lower eye pressure, and the other group (126 patients) — the control group — was left untreated. Both groups were followed carefully and monitored every three months for early signs of advanced disease, using indicators that are extremely sensitive for detecting glaucoma progress. Any patient in the control group whose glaucoma progressed was immediately offered treatment.

After six years of follow-up, scientists found that progression was less frequent in the treated group (45 percent) than in the control group (62 percent), and occurred significantly later in treated patients.

Treatment effects were also evident in patients with different characteristics, such as age, initial eye pressure levels and degree of glaucoma damage. In the treated group, eye pressure was lowered by an average of 25 percent (Sources: Archives in Ophthalmology, October 2002; NIH News Release, Oct. 14, 2002.

Contact Lenses / Children’s Cataract Surgery
In a recent study, it was found that contact lenses used in children who had undergone cataract surgery were well tolerated, were preferred by their caregivers and were an effective visual rehabilitation option.

In this study, 123 caregivers of children under the age of eight who had undergone cataract surgery in one or both eyes were surveyed regarding levels of stress for contact lens use. They were asked to choose among contact lenses, glasses or intraocular lenses for visual rehabilitation. Nearly 82 percent of the caregivers chose contact lenses, although there was a high initial resistance to choosing them.

The authors did express a concern about the trend of using intraocular lenses for treatment of pediatric-cataracts in children over the age of two and the proposal to use them for children under two years of age, including infants. Additional risks to visual rehabilitation therapy were also expressed (i.e., possible repeat surgeries, increased medications, lazy eye and unknown long-term risks).

Stuart Dankner, M.D., American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) spokesperson said: “This study, though limited by the small size of its study population, shows children respond well to contact lenses. The authors make a persuasive case that contact lenses should be considered as an optical therapy for children who have had cataract surgery, though further study would be helpful in confirming these findings”

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Age-Related Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of low vision in America, is a gradual, painless deterioration of the macula — the area at the center of the retina responsible for detailed vision. In many cases, the onset of AMD can limit one’s mobility and devastate one’s sense of independence.

“Vision loss causes more depression than any other physical impairment,” stated Lylas Mogk, M.D., spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “This depression does not depend on how much vision is lost, but rather on how much function is lost in performing [a person’s] daily activities.”

Results of a recent study found that AMD patients who have learned to do many of their daily activities independently in spite of their vision loss were the least likely to be depressed.

The ISPB supports the Academy in reminding Americans that while ongoing research and new treatments show great promise for the future, there is hope for living a better life today. Rehabilitation programs, devices and other resources are available to help people with AMD to adapt to vision loss. For information on low vision services and programs in Illinois, consult with your eye care professional and/or call the ISPB office (Sources: Archives of Ophthalmology, November 2002.; AAO News Release, Feb. 12, 2003).

---

The Visionary, published as a service of the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness,
is available upon request. The information contained in this issue,
taken from sources considered to be accurate,
does not replace the need for professional eye care consultations and treatments.

[top]