NOVELTIES IN MEDICAL TREATMENT OF GLAUCOMA.

The purpose of this study is to review the current medical treatment and the new and better alternatives for patients with glaucoma. Glaucoma refers to a group of related eye disorders that have in common an optic neuropathy associated with visual function loss. It is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Glaucoma can damage vision gradually so it may not be noticed until the disease is at an advanced stage. Early diagnosis and treatment can minimize or prevent optic nerve damage and limit glaucoma-related vision loss. Nowadays, research continues for the improvement of current medical treatment.

National centers of excellence in glaucoma.

Glaucoma refers to a group of related eye disorders that have in common an optic neuropathy associated with visual function loss. It is the second leading cause of blindness in developed countries and Romania and the first cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. In Europe, 2% of the population over 40 and 7% of the population over 80 have glaucoma. In Romania, there are no official statistics concerning glaucoma disease, but it was estimated that over 160000 Romanians suffer from this disease and only 50% of them are undergoing treatment. The silent evolution of the disease, the deficient sanitary education, the lack of well structured national programs for screening and follow-up and the lack of adherence to treatment and check-ups, are the causes of late diagnosis and irreversible visual function loss. The article emphasizes the need for national centers specialized in managing patients with glaucoma, from prevention, screening, early diagnosis to treatment and monitoring.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor indications in ocular disease.

The purpose of this systemic review was to investigate the indications of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) in the treatment of ocular diseases. For this, a comprehensive literature research was performed exploring the current use of anti-VEGF in a variety of retinal or anterior segment diseases and highlighting the visual outcome for these patients. The anti-VEGF therapy is now commonly used for a wide range of pathologies like age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. Pathological processes such as abnormal neovascularization, ocular angiogenesis and macular edema which can greatly reduce visual acuity are now targeted by anti-VEGF treatment, having a major impact on vision.

Upper eyelid abscess as a late complication of frontal sinus trauma.

The authors report a case of upper eyelid abscess in a 30 year old male that presented in the ophthalmology department with complains of recurrent eyelid pyosis, hyperaemia and swelling that started 2 months earlier and that did not ease to repeated courses of antibiotic therapy. The reported history of the patient revealed frontal sinus trauma that occurred 5 years before and that required surgical treatment (fixation with titan plaque and screws) with total healing and giving no further complains over the next years. The present cranial CT imaging showed intraorbital fat infiltration with displacement of one orbital arcade screw. Clinical findings showed normal ocular mobility. Antibiotic treatment and screw extraction through eyelid fistula improved the outcome but did not resolve the fistulous communication. Final management involved surgical removal of orbital arcade plaque and remaining screw and excision of fistula tract. The postoperative outcome was very good and the fistula remained closed but left the patient with an upper eyelid retraction which will require oculoplastic surgery in the future.