Research and Medication Updates Glaucoma (Diagnostic Screening Device)

Check with your eye care professional about the GDx Access screening device for glaucoma. This device uses infrared laser technology to measure the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layers. It allows doctors to determine early on whether structural damage has been done to the eye long before a patient begins to lose sight (Source: Associated Press, Mar. 13, 2001).

This past year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved three new glaucoma medications:

—1— prostaglandin-related drugs Travatan (marketed by Alcon Universal, Ltd. of Fort Worth, Tex.).

—2— Lumigan (marketed by Allergan, Inc. of Irvine, Calif.). Travatan and Lumigan decrease intraocular pressure by increasing the drainage of intraocular fluid. Possible side effects from these two medications include changes in eye color, darkening of eyelid skin and gradual growth of eyelashes.

A study conducted by Alcon (on Travatan) found that the medication may work best for African-Americans with glaucoma, making it the first treatment approved by the FDA to be marketed to a population at high risk for glaucoma.

Lumigan and Travatan may also be considered for people with glaucoma who are unable to tolerate or have had no success with other IOP-lowering drugs.

—3 — Alphagan®P (marketed by Allergan, Inc. of Irvine, Calif.). The same active ingredient, brimonidine tartrate found in the original Alphagan®, is preserved with Purite®, which works by decreasing the production as well as increasing the drainage of intraocular fluid.

In two 12-month clinical studies, the results showed that Alphagan®P is comparable to Alphagan®, but has fewer negative side effects, such as red, itchy and swollen eyes, burning sensation, hypertension, oral dryness and visual disturbance (Source: “Gleams, ”

Glaucoma Research Foundation, Summer 2001).

The National Eye Institute recently announced the results of a nation-wide NEI-supported clinical trial — the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Scientists found that people at high risk of developing advanced stages of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, lowered their risk by about 25 percent when treated with a high-dose combination of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, plus zinc. In the same risk group —which includes people with intermediate AMD, or advanced AMD in one eye but not the other — the supplements reduced the risk of vision loss caused by advanced AMD by about 19 percent. For those study participants who had either no AMD or early AMD, the same supplements did not provide an apparent benefit.

The study involved 4,757 participants, 55-80 years of age, in 11 clinical centers nationwide, including one in Illinois—Irwin Retina Center/Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey (Sources: Archives of Ophthalmology, October 2001 and NEI Press Release, Oct. 12, 2001). For more information, contact the ISPB offices.

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.

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