FAST® questionnaire for identifying glaucoma patients at risk for ocular surface disease.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the new Fast Assessment of the Ocular Surface Trouble (FAST®) questionnaire for identifying glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT) patients at risk of ocular surface disease (OSD). METHODS: A multicenter, international, cross-sectional, epidemiological survey evaluated the most accurate interview items and ocular signs on the initial 14-item version of FAST® to develop a shorter version for routine, quick clinical use. Rasch analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method was used to reduce the number of items on the questionnaire. Sensitivity and specificity of FAST® were assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the detection of OSD with the questionnaire and ophthalmic assessment. RESULTS: A total of 2308 eyes (1154 patients) were analyzed in this study by 92 ophthalmologists. The initial version of the FAST® indicated 60% of the subjects had OSD. Rasch analysis allowed removal of some clinical signs. The LASSO method allowed elimination of some items from the original questionnaire for a 9-item and a 6-item version of FAST®. For the 6-item questionnaire, the sensitivity and specificity were 71.9% and 74.3% respectively and the area under the curve was 0.815. CONCLUSIONS: The FAST® questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for use in routine clinical practice and in clinical trials. The short versions of the questionnaire allow quick detection of the majority of patients with OHT or glaucoma at risk of dry eye.

A randomized clinical trial comparing three fixed combinations of bimatoprost with timolol in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of two fixed combination, preservative-free eye drops (bimatoprost 0.01% in combination with either timolol 0.1% or 0.5%) in a gel formulation, with bimatoprost 0.03%/timolol 0.5% in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT). METHODS: Phase II, randomized, investigator-masked, multicenter, 3-arm parallel group (Eudract No. 2017-002823-46). Eighty-six patients aged ≥18 years with OAG or OHT, with intraocular pressure (IOP) initially controlled for at least 6 months by a combination therapy of a dual prostaglandin and timolol or insufficiently controlled by first-line monotherapy were included. Patients were randomized to receive T4030a (bimatoprost 0.01%/timolol 0.1%; N = 29), T4030c (bimatoprost 0.01%/timolol 0.5%; N = 29) or bimatoprost 0.03%/timolol 0.5% (N = 28), administered once daily in the evening for 12 weeks. Primary endpoint was defined as change in IOP from day 1 to week 12 measured at 08:00 (±1 h). Further efficacy, safety and pharmacokinetic endpoints were assessed as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: The mean change in IOP from baseline to week 12 was -9.8 ± 2.1 mmHg for T4030a, -10.1 ± 2.5 mmHg for T4030c and -10.0 ± 2.8 mmHg for bimatoprost 0.03%/timolol 0.5%. All treatments were well tolerated with no safety issues identified in any group. In patients treated with T4030a, the systemic concentration of timolol was significantly lower after 12 weeks than in patients treated with T4030c or bimatoprost 0.03%/timolol0.5%. CONCLUSIONS: These study results suggest that the preservative-free ophthalmic formulation of T4030a (bimatoprost 0.01%/timolol 0.1%) can be regarded as a useful tool in the therapeutic management of OAG and OHT.

The safety and efficacy of glaucoma medication in the pediatric population.

Topical glaucoma medications are widely used for childhood glaucoma, although little is known concerning the use of the newer glaucoma medications in this population. The majority of the references cited were extracted from PubMed. A literature review of all English language reports related to glaucoma medication in the pediatric population since 1980 was performed. Medical therapy of pediatric glaucoma contains four groups of drugs: beta-blockers (timolol and betaxolol), carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (dorzolamide), alpha2-agonists (brimonidine), and prostaglandin analogs (latanoprost). Timolol is the first choice in pediatric glaucoma. In cases with insufficient reduction of the intraocular pressure (IOP), the combination of timolol once a day and dorzolamide twice a day brings about a good control of the IOP. Both medications are effective and well tolerated. The alpha2-agonists have more and potentially serious adverse effects in children and are contraindicated for children younger than 2 years of age. Latanoprost tends to be less effective in lowering IOP in children than in adults. However, no studies are reported where latanoprost is used in monotherapy. Additional study may further delineate this drug's role in treating pediatric glaucoma. The safety profile of latanoprost in children appears excellent.

Modulation of wound healing in glaucoma surgery.

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease and is the second most important cause of irreversible blindness. Filtration surgery remains the most effective therapy to reduce intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients. The main determinant of long-term surgical success is the healing response. Excessive postoperative wound healing with subsequent fibrosis may lead to obstruction of the created channel which frequently results in early surgical failure and consequent progression of visual field loss. Preoperative use of antimitotics, such as mitomycin-C and 5-fluorouracyl, effectively improves surgery outcome. However, the use of these nonspecific antiproliferative agents can be associated with severe side effects. This review provides an overview of the most important efforts that have been made to explore novel, more specific, and safer agents to prevent glaucoma filtration failure and improve surgery outcome.

Preservative-free treatment in glaucoma: who, when, and why.

PURPOSE: To review and summarize the available literature on the effect of preservatives on the eye, to provide practical guidance for the clinical assessment of the ocular surface in glaucoma patients, and to define patient populations that might benefit from preservative-free topical intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering agents. METHODS: This manuscript is based on a combination of a literature review on preservatives and the eye and expert opinion from glaucoma specialists with an interest in ocular surface disease. RESULTS: There is an increasingly recognized association between eyedrop preservatives and ocular surface disease. Preservative-free therapy is now available for a wide range of active compounds, although there are still some misconceptions regarding their appropriate use. For patients treated topically for glaucoma or ocular hypertension, a rough estimate could be that 20% may need treatment with topical IOP-reducing agents that are free from preservatives. CONCLUSION: This review provides an up-to-date account of the literature regarding preservatives and the eye, as well as suggestions and recommendations on to when to use preservative-free antiglaucoma treatment.