Ophthalmology clinics of North America最新文献

We now have at our disposal several nonsteroidal immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents that may be used in addition to or instead of corticosteroids to treat ocular diseases. This article discusses some of the nonsteroidal immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory agents available to the ophthalmologist.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has been shown to be safe, well tolerated, and effective in intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction as therapy in several forms of open-angle glaucoma. The preservation of trabecular meshwork (TM) architecture and the demonstrated efficacy in lowering IOP make SLT a reasonable and safe alternative to argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT). SLT may also be effective for cases of failed ALT and is a procedure that may also be repeatable, unlike ALT. SLT is also a simple technique for an ophthalmologist to learn as the large spot size eliminates the need to locate a particular zone of treatment on the TM. SLT has been demonstrated to be effective as primary treatment for open angle glaucoma and can be an effective adjunct in the early treatment of glaucoma. Furthermore, SLT can be considered as a primary treatment option in patients who cannot tolerate or who are noncompliant with their glaucoma medications, without interfering with the success of future surgery.

Glaucoma is the most common chronic optic neuropathy. Although traditionally considered a disease of elevated intraocular pressure, it is now clear that glaucoma is primarily a distinctive optic neuropathy. This article discusses the distinctive features of glaucoma: disk morphology, visual field patterns, and disease progression. The primary goal is to distinguish glaucoma from other optic neuropathies and, in so doing, to suggest some hypotheses for its etiology.

Uveitic glaucoma can pose some of the most challenging management problems faced by the ophthalmologist. A better understanding of the pathogenesis of glaucoma associated with ocular inflammatory disease is an important key to making appropriate therapeutic decisions. This article provides an update on recent advances in understanding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of uveitic glaucoma, as well as developments in the diagnosis and management of this condition.

Nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery continues to evolve and improve. New technical refinements and increased experience among its practitioners have led to improved efficacy and longer duration of filter survival. These refinements include the use of intraoperative and postoperative antimetabolites, adjunctive space-maintaining devices, and postoperative yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser goniopuncture. Deep sclerectomy and viscocanalostomy vary significantly in their surgical approaches and mechanisms of aqueous outflow. An understanding of the microanatomy of the aqueous outflow structures is necessary to gain surgical access to Schlemm's canal and to augment aqueous outflow surgically through the trabecular meshwork. Indications and contraindications for nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery are discussed.

Approximately, one fifth of primary congenital glaucoma patients fail primary surgery. Also, some pediatric glaucomas respond poorly to goniotomy or trabeculectomy. In these situations, clinicians often choose trabeculectomy with mitomycin-C or a drainage implant as a surgical treatment. Glaucoma drainage device implantation is a useful option in refractory patients. When other surgical treatments have a poor prognosis for success, prior conventional surgery fails, or significant conjunctival scarring precludes filtration surgery, glaucoma drainage implant may effectively control intraocular pressure. Patients often require adjunctive glaucoma medications after surgery and may develop complications. Most of these complications, however, are reversible or resolve spontaneously, and most are not associated with vision loss.

Many theories have surfaced regarding the exact mechanisms behind glaucomatous damage, but the complex nature of the disease and the inaccessibility of the internal structures of the human eye have limited current knowledge. Increased intraocular pressure is the risk factor most often associated with glaucomatous optic neuropathy; ischemic insult to the optic nerve has also been suggested as a possible cause of cellular damage. The aim of this review is to cover the possible role of optic nerve head hemodynamics in the pathogenesis of glaucoma.

Although surgery remains the definitive treatment for congenital and other childhood glaucomas, medical therapy can be effective in lowering intraocular pressure as a temporizing measure before surgery or as long-term adjunctive treatment in disease refractory to surgical measures. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, beta-blockers, cholinergic drugs, and the prostaglandin-related drugs all play an effective role in pediatric glaucoma management. The usefulness and safety profile of the adrenergic agonists and the osmotic agents are less well established. In medically treating the pediatric patient or the pregnant woman for glaucoma, the clinician must be mindful of the possibility of adverse effects and be prepared to alter or terminate treatment if needed.

Prescribing medical treatment for glaucoma requires a complex decision-making process that involves the patient, the severity of the disease, the therapeutic options available, and their potential side effects. Lowering intraocular pressure, a known risk factor for progression, has been the mainstay of glaucoma treatment. Most patients who are first diagnosed with glaucoma in the United States are started on topical medications. As our understanding of the disease changes and newer treatments become available, glaucoma therapies may need to be reassessed and changed if necessary.

Glaucoma is a common blinding disease worldwide. Most forms of the disease are inherited in some way. The identification of genes responsible for glaucoma will lead to insights into the underlying biochemical defects as well as provide the basis for new methods of diagnosis and therapy. Glaucoma patients who are identified early and treated appropriately have the best chance of maintaining useful sight.