Regional EuroTimes
Date Posted 15/06/2009
Glaucoma expert highlights evolving understanding of glaucoma causation and targets for reducing glaucoma-related vision loss
Norbert Pfeiffer MD, PhD, chairman and director, Department of Ophthalmology, Mainz University, Mainz, Germany, is world-renowned for his glaucoma research. In a keynote lecture at the 17th Congress of the European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) , Dr Pfeiffer addressed the complex question of “Why do we get glaucoma?”
He told attendees that researchers have been challenged to answer this question even though glaucoma was first described about a thousand years ago. The idea that a common genetic cause would be identified has not been borne out. In addition, while an association with elevated IOP has been recognised since the mid 19th century, its role has also been unclear, partly because elevated IOP cannot explain glaucoma in all patients.
“We know there are some individuals with elevated IOP whose ocular hypertension never progresses to glaucoma and also that there is a normal tension form of glaucoma,” Dr Pfeiffer explained.
Further confusing the issue are the results of a number of older studies in which IOP-lowering intervention failed to have a significant effect on glaucoma onset or progression. While this information led some to believe that IOP may not be important in glaucoma, results from landmark clinical trials reported within the last decade have brought new understanding, noted Dr Pfeiffer.
A full report on Dr Pfeiffer's lecture is published in the Monday 15 June edition of ET Today, the official newspaper of the SOE Congress.
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