Rate and Pattern of Rim Area Loss in Healthy and Progressing Glaucoma Eyes.

PURPOSE: To characterize the rate and pattern of age-related and glaucomatous neuroretinal rim area changes in subjects of African and European descent. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred ninety-six eyes of 157 healthy subjects (88 patients of African descent and 69 of European descent) and 73 progressing glaucoma eyes of 67 subjects (24 patients of African descent and 43 of European descent) from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study were included. METHODS: Global and sectoral rim areas were measured using confocal laser scanning ophthalmoscopy. Masked stereophotograph review determined progression of glaucomatous optic disc damage. The rates of absolute rim area loss and percentage rim area loss in healthy and progressing glaucomatous eyes were compared using multivariate, nested, mixed-effects models. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rate of rim area loss over time. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 5.0 years (interquartile range, 2.0-7.4 years) for healthy eyes and 8.3 years (interquartile range, 7.5-9.9 years) for progressing glaucoma eyes. The mean rate of global rim area loss was significantly faster in progressing glaucomatous eyes compared with healthy eyes for both rim area loss (-10.2×10(-3) vs. -2.8×10(-3) mm(2)/year, respectively; P < 0.001) and percentage rim area loss (-1.1% vs. -0.2%/year, respectively; P < 0.001), but considerable overlap existed between the 2 groups. Sixty-three percent of progressing glaucoma eyes had a rate of change faster than the fifth quantile of healthy eyes. For both healthy and progressing eyes, the pattern of rim area loss and percentage rim area loss were similar, tending to be fastest in the superior temporal and inferior temporal sectors. The rate of change was similar in progressing eyes of patients of African or European descent. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with healthy eyes, the mean rate of global rim area loss was 3.7 times faster and the mean rate of global percentage rim area loss was 5.4 times faster in progressing glaucoma eyes. A reference database of healthy eyes can be used to help clinicians distinguish age-related rim area loss from rim area loss resulting from glaucoma.

Rates of retinal nerve fiber layer thinning in glaucoma suspect eyes.

PURPOSE: To compare the rates of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) loss in patients suspected of having glaucoma who developed visual field damage (VFD) with those who did not develop VFD and to determine whether the rate of RNFL loss can be used to predict the development of VFD. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Glaucoma suspects, defined as having glaucomatous optic neuropathy or ocular hypertension (intraocular pressure, >21 mmHg) without repeatable VFD at baseline, from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. METHODS: Global and quadrant RNFL thickness (RNFLT) were measured with the Spectralis spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT; Spectralis HRA+OCT [Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany]). Visual field damage was defined as having 3 consecutive abnormal visual fields. The rate of RNFL loss in eyes developing VFD was compared to eyes not developing VFD using multivariate linear mixed-effects models. A joint longitudinal survival model used the estimated RNFLT slope to predict the risk of developing VFD, while adjusting for potential confounding variables. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The rate of RNFL thinning and the probability of developing VFD. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-four eyes of 294 glaucoma suspects were included. The average number of SD-OCT examinations was 4.6 (range, 2-9), with median follow-up of 2.2 years (0.4-4.1 years). Forty eyes (8.8%) developed VFD. The estimated mean rate of global RNFL loss was significantly faster in eyes that developed VFD compared with eyes that did not develop VFD (-2.02 µm/year vs. -0.82 µm/year; P<0.001). The joint longitudinal survival model showed that each 1-µm/year faster rate of global RNFL loss corresponded to a 2.05-times higher risk of developing VFD (hazard ratio, 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-3.71; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of global RNFL loss was more than twice as fast in eyes that developed VFD compared with eyes that did not develop VFD. A joint longitudinal survival model showed that a 1-µm/year faster rate of RNFLT loss corresponded to a 2.05-times higher risk of developing VFD. These results suggest that measuring the rate of SD-OCT RNFL loss may be a useful tool to help identify patients who are at a high risk of developing visual field loss.

Changes in anterior segment parameters following insertion of ExPRESS mini glaucoma implant vs. trabeculectomy.

PURPOSE: To compare changes in anterior segment parameters following ExPRESS Mini Glaucoma Shunt surgery vs. trabeculectomy using the Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera. METHODS: In this prospective, comparative study, 27 patients with glaucoma treated at the Rabin Medical Center from 2009 to 2013 were enrolled in this prospective comparative study: 19 participants (19 eyes) underwent ExPRESS shunt implantation and 12 (13 eyes) underwent trabeculectomy. Changes in anterior chamber parameters at postoperative day 1 and postoperative month 3 were evaluated on Scheimpflug images. RESULTS: Intraocular pressure decreased significantly from baseline in both groups. The decrease in both groups was similar at postoperative month 3 (p=0.82). ExPRESS surgery caused a transient increase in posterior corneal astigmatism (p=0.008) and a transient decrease in anterior chamber depth (p=0.016) and volume (p=0.006) on postoperative day 1. At postoperative month 3, these parameters were no longer statistically significant (p=0.65, p=0.51, and p=0.57 respectively). Trabeculectomy caused a transient increase in anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism on postoperative day 1 (p=0.003 and p=0.005, respectively), which were not evident at postoperative month 3 (p=1.0 and p=1.0, respectively). At postoperative month 3, both ExPRESS and trabeculectomy showed similar changes in anterior chamber parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Both ExPRESS mini glaucoma implant and trabeculectomy significantly decreased intraocular pressure and had transient effects on anterior segment parameters, with minor differences between the methods.

Macular Ganglion Cell Inner Plexiform Layer Thickness in Glaucomatous Eyes with Localized Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Defects.

PURPOSE: To investigate macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) thickness in glaucomatous eyes with visible localized retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) defects on stereophotographs. METHODS: 112 healthy and 149 glaucomatous eyes from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS) and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES) subjects had standard automated perimetry (SAP), optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the macula and optic nerve head, and stereoscopic optic disc photography. Masked observers identified localized RNFL defects by grading of stereophotographs. RESULT: 47 eyes had visible localized RNFL defects on stereophotographs. Eyes with visible localized RNFL defects had significantly thinner mGCIPL thickness compared to healthy eyes (68.3 ± 11.4 µm versus 79.2 ± 6.6 µm respectively, P<0.001) and similar mGCIPL thickness to glaucomatous eyes without localized RNFL defects (68.6 ± 11.2 µm, P = 1.000). The average mGCIPL thickness in eyes with RNFL defects was 14% less than similarly aged healthy controls. For 29 eyes with a visible RNFL defect in just one hemiretina (superior or inferior) mGCIPL was thinnest in the same hemiretina in 26 eyes (90%). Eyes with inferior-temporal RNFL defects also had significantly thinner inferior-temporal mGCIPL (P<0.001) and inferior mGCIPL (P = 0.030) compared to glaucomatous eyes without a visible RNFL defect. CONCLUSION: The current study indicates that presence of a localized RNFL defect is likely to indicate significant macular damage, particularly in the region of the macular that topographically corresponds to the location of the RNFL defect.

Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of SIX1-SIX6 With Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Individuals of European Descent.

PURPOSE: To perform a quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis and evaluate whether a locus between SIX1 and SIX6 is associated with retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in individuals of European descent. DESIGN: Observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 231 participants were recruited from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. Association of rs10483727 in SIX1-SIX6 with global and sectoral RNFL thickness was performed. Quantitative trait analysis with the additive model of inheritance was analyzed using linear regression. Trend analysis was performed to evaluate the mean global and sectoral RNFL thickness with 3 genotypes of interest (T/T, C/T, C/C). All models were adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Direction of association between T allele and RNFL thickness was consistent in the global and different sectoral RNFL regions. Each copy of the T risk allele in rs10483727 was associated with -0.16 µm thinner global RNFL thickness (ß = -0.16, 95% confidence interval: -0.28 to -0.03; P = .01). Similar patterns were found for the sectoral regions, including inferior (P = .03), inferior-nasal (P = .017), superior-nasal (P = .0025), superior (P = .002) and superior-temporal (P = .008). The greatest differences were observed in the superior and inferior quadrants, supporting clinical observations for RNFL thinning in glaucoma. Thinner global RNFL was found in subjects with T/T genotypes compared to subjects with C/T and C/C genotypes (P = .044). CONCLUSIONS: Each copy of the T risk allele has an additive effect and was associated with thinner global and sectoral RNFL. Findings from this QTL analysis further support a genetic contribution to glaucoma pathophysiology.

The African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES): predictors of visual field damage in glaucoma suspects.

PURPOSE: To evaluate racial differences in the development of visual field (VF) damage in glaucoma suspects. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. METHODS: Six hundred thirty-six eyes from 357 glaucoma suspects with normal VF at baseline were included from the multicenter African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study (ADAGES). Racial differences in the development of VF damage were examined using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Thirty one of 122 African-descent participants (25.4%) and 47 of 235 European-descent participants (20.0%) developed VF damage (P = .078). In multivariable analysis, worse baseline VF mean deviation, higher mean arterial pressure during follow-up, and a race ∗ mean intraocular pressure (IOP) interaction term were significantly associated with the development of VF damage, suggesting that racial differences in the risk of VF damage varied by IOP. At higher mean IOP levels, race was predictive of the development of VF damage even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors. At mean IOPs during follow-up of 22, 24, and 26 mm Hg, multivariable hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the development of VF damage in African-descent compared to European-descent subjects were 2.03 (1.15-3.57), 2.71 (1.39-5.29), and 3.61 (1.61-8.08), respectively. However, at lower mean IOP levels (below 22 mm Hg) during follow-up, African descent was not predictive of the development of VF damage. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of glaucoma suspects with similar access to treatment, multivariate analysis revealed that at higher mean IOP during follow-up, individuals of African descent were more likely to develop VF damage than individuals of European descent.

Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty after bee sting of the cornea.

We present a case of corneal decompensation and cataract formation following a corneal bee sting in a patient with a history of drug abuse. Clinical findings, anterior segment photographs, and medical and surgical treatment are presented. The stinger was removed from the cornea. Systemic and topical steroids, topical antibiotics, and systemic and topical antiglaucoma medication and antihistamines were prescribed. After 3 months, combined Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), phacoemulsification, and intraocular lens implantation were performed, with significant improvement in visual acuity and corneal edema. To our knowledge, this is the first report of DSAEK combined with cataract surgery for this condition. It was found to be a safe and effective treatment for corneal decompensation secondary to a bee sting.