The Education Committee carefully selects presentations from the World Glaucoma Congress 2017 in Helsinki for your benefit. This month Tanuj Dada introduces the sessions Current glaucoma management: medical and laser therapy, Diagnosis and management of a glaucoma suspect and New studies on the genetics of exfoliation syndromemedical and laser therapy.
Current glaucoma management: medical and laser therapy
Setting a target and initiating ocular hypotensive therapy
Steven Mansberger
Steven Mansberger explains how target IOP is the game plan for glaucoma patients and how it helps in simplifying the management of a person having glaucoma. Find out in this presentation about how to individualize and maintain target IOP.
Cost effectiveness of first line treatment
Rupert Bourne
What is health economic evaluation? How effective is the treatment in terms of cost? What do the NICE guidelines tell us about cost-effectiveness and what are the economic implications of the EAGLE study? Find out in this presentation by Rupert Bourne.
Evidence based effectiveness of SLT as first line therapy
Tony Realini
Tony Realini speaks about IOP lowering effect of SLT, its sustainability, safety and cost effectiveness in primary open angle glaucoma. Find out about the merits of using SLT as first line therapy in this presentation.
Cost effectiveness of first line therapy medical vs laser
Arthur Sit
Should you use medications in a treatment naïve patient or should you do SLT? How does it affect your patient in terms of cost? Arthur Sir details the effect of laser and medications on health care economics in different stages of glaucoma.
Looking beyond IOP
Eugenio A Maul
Which situations warrant looking at factors other than IOP in glaucoma management? Which factors do we consider when patients progress despite being on target IOP? Eugenio A Maul discusses the role of several factors including low blood pressure, Diabetes, BMI, sleep apnea, low CSF pressure and neuroprotection in this presentation.
Diagnosis and management of a glaucoma suspect
Classification of a Glaucoma Suspect
Toru Nakazawa
Toru Nakazawa talks about the key issues facing the management of glaucoma suspects in ageing societies. He presents various classifications of glaucoma suspects given in literature and how it can be confusing because of the varied definitions of a glaucoma suspect
Preferred practice pattern guidelines
Sayoko Moroi
Glaucoma suspects are a particular group of patients who may be over or under treated. How would you manage an ocular hypertensive? When would you start treatment in a glaucoma suspect? How would you monitor a glaucoma suspect? Sayoko Moroi highlights the Preferred practice pattern guidelines for glaucoma suspects.
Risk stratification and calculators
Parul Ichhpujani
Parul Ichhpujani talks about the risk factors that contribute to progression of glaucoma and the evidence related to each risk factor. The risk factor calculators and their impact are also discussed in this presentation.
Role of functional testing
Akira Sawada
How many patients with pre-perimetric glaucoma progress over long term? What is the average time taken for a person to develop a visual field defect? Is IOP fluctuation a risk factor for progression in glaucoma? Akira Sawada presents the evidence from published literature related to these important questions regarding functional testing in glaucoma.
When it’s not glaucoma: The neuro-ophthalmologic differential diagnosis
Mark Moster
Mark Moster explains the similarities and differences in glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmologic diseases? In this presentation find out the various neuroophthalmologic diseases which may act like glaucoma mimickers.
Management strategy of primary angle closure suspect
Hiroshi Sakai
Hiroshi Sakai talks about the definition , epidemiology and management of a of primary angle closure suspect (PACS). He also highlights the effectiveness of treating PACS patients.
New studies on the genetics of exfoliation syndrome
The dual role of LOXL1 in exfoliation syndrome/glaucoma
Ursula Schlötzer-Schrehardt
Ursula Schlötzer explains the role of LOXL1 gene in formation of elastic fibers and how dysregulation of this gene affects the eye. In this presentation find out about the formation of PEX material and the disease progresses from preclinical stages to clinically apparent manifestations and finally to glaucoma.
Rare protective coding variants of LOXL1
Michael Hauser
Rare variants of LOXL1 can lead to gain in function and hence protect against PEX. Find out more about protective coding genetic variants in this presentation by Michael Hauser
Other genes
Tin Aung
Five gene loci have been identified which contribute to formation of PEX. In this presentation Tin Aung gives details of the published literature and role of other genes which can be potential targets of therapy in PEX.
Genetic disorders of the elastic fiber system
Dieter Reinhardt
In this presentation Dieter Reinhardt discusses the different components that are deposited in exfoliation material. He presents details of normal and pathological microfibril and elastic fibers assembly patterns and systemic disorders associated with these alterations.
