Lifestyles guide and glaucoma (II). Diet, supplements, drugs, sleep, pregnancy, and systemic hypertension. / Guía de estilos de vida y glaucoma (II). Dieta, suplementos, drogas, sueño, embarazo e hipertensión arterial.

PURPOSE: To establish evidence based guidelines to advise patients on the relationship between habits, diet, certain circumstances, diseases and glaucoma. METHODS: Review of all published articles on glaucoma and sports or other activities. The papers were classified according to the level of scientific evidence based on the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine classification. RESULTS: The evidence on the relationship between diet or supplements and the incidence or progression of glaucoma is insufficient to make a general recommendation for glaucoma patients. Although some studies on normal tension glaucoma suggest that Gingko biloba could reduce glaucoma progression, the results do not allow a general recommendation for all these patients. Similarly, the evidence on the usefulness of vitamin supplements is not conclusive. The studies on smoking do not clearly demonstrate the relationship between this habit and incidence of glaucoma. Marihuana is not a useful treatment for glaucoma. Although the results on the relationship between sleep apnoea and glaucoma are heterogeneous, it is recommended that patients with moderate to intense apnoea are tested for glaucoma. Pregnancy does not influence the course of the disease, but several hypotensive drugs may be harmful for the foetus. Nocturnal systemic hypotension is a risk factor for glaucoma progression. CONCLUSIONS: Certain habits, circumstances, or diseases may have an influence on the onset or progression of glaucoma. It is important to have adequate information about the scientific evidence in the publications in order to properly advise patients.

Changes in lamina cribrosa and prelaminar tissue after deep sclerectomy.

AIM: To determine the response of the lamina cribrosa (LC) and prelaminar tissue to a reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) after nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) using enhanced depth imaging (EDI) spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS: A total of 28 eyes from 28 patients presenting with primary open angle glaucoma who underwent NPDS were studied. SD-OCT scans using EDI technology were obtained before surgery and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. The OCT device was set to image a 15 × 10° vertical rectangle centred on the optic disc. The scan closest to the optic nerve head (ONH) centre was selected for analysis. The vertical distances from three equidistant points on the reference line (Bruch's membrane opening) to the anterior prelaminar tissue surface and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the LC were measured. RESULTS: The IOP decreased from 18.7 ± 4.3 to 9.1 ± 4.0 at the first week, 11.4 ± 3.7 at 1 month, and 13.1 ± 3.6 mm Hg at 3 months postoperatively (P<0.001). There was a significant reduction of the ONH cupping at 1 week (22.3%, P<0.001), 1 month (13.7%, P<0.001), and 3 months (9.8%, P=0.001) after surgery. Anterior displacement of the LC was slight but statistically significant at 1 week (4.5%, P=0.003), 1 month (3.8%, P=0.014), and 3 months postoperatively (3.3%, P=0.010). IOP reduction was significantly correlated with a reduction of ONH cupping and anterior displacement of LC at the first week and first month (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cupping reversal after NPDS is mainly due to changes in prelaminar tissue thickness, whereas the LC changes in position are less pronounced.

Optic disc cupping after optic neuritis evaluated with optic coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the optic disc experiences cupping after an episode of optic neuritis as assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: A total of 50 patients with unilateral optic neuritis and 50 age- and sex-matched controls were studied. A complete examination, including visual acuity (VA), visual fields, and OCT scanning of the optic nerve head was performed. Mean cup-to-disc (C/D) ratios in the affected eyes were compared with fellow and control eyes. RESULTS: Mean C/D area ratio (CDAR), C/D vertical ratio (CDVR), and C/D horizontal ratio (CDHR) were significantly larger in the affected eyes compared to fellow (P<0.001) and control eyes (P<0.05). The asymmetry in CDAR, CDVR, and CDHR between both eyes in the patients with optic neuritis was equal to or greater than 0.2 in 24, 28, and 30% respectively. A significant inverse correlation was found between the C/D ratios asymmetry and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: A significant increase in C/D ratio can be detected by OCT after unilateral optic neuritis, inversely correlated with RNFL thickness, and VA.

Cup-to-disc ratio: agreement between slit-lamp indirect ophthalmoscopic estimation and stratus optical coherence tomography measurement.

PURPOSE: To determine agreement between slit-lamp indirect ophthalmoscopy and Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT) when assessing cup-to-disc ratios (CDRs). METHODS: Twenty-five ocular hypertensive subjects and 56 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were included. Estimation of vertical (VCDR) and horizontal (HCDR) cup-to-disc ratio with slit-lamp ophthalmoscopy was made by three glaucoma specialists along with OCT scanning of optic nerve head. Agreement between OCT and specialists was measured by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Bland and Altman's scatterplots, and a regression coefficient of the average difference. RESULTS: The mean VCDR and HCDR was significantly higher (P<0.001) with OCT than that estimated by the specialists, with the difference ranging from 0.08 to 0.11, and from 0.13 to 0.18, respectively, depending on the specialist. Difference was higher (P<0.001) for cuppings below 0.3, and looses significance for larger VCDR cuppings (above 0.7). ICC for VCDR was 0.87 among specialists, and ranges from 0.82 to 0.75 when comparing OCT and specialists. ICC for HCDR was 0.83 among specialists and 0.74 between OCT and specialists. When data were plotted according to the Bland-Altman method, as the cupping increased, the agreement also increased. CONCLUSIONS: There is very good agreement among the specialists when estimating CDRs by stereoscopic slit-lamp biomicroscopy. OCT shows higher values than the specialists; the greatest differences occurred when assessing small CDRs and the differences diminished as the cupping increased. These two methods of measurement are not interchangeable, and the difference must be considered, especially in discs with smaller CDRs.

Topical plus intracameral lidocaine versus retrobulbar anesthesia in phacotrabeculectomy: prospective randomized study.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of topical and retrobulbar anesthesia for phacotrabeculectomy. SETTING: Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain. METHODS: This prospective study comprised 60 patients (60 eyes) having phacotrabeculectomy surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups receiving topical anesthesia plus intracameral lidocaine 1% or retrobulbar anesthesia. Patients were asked to document the discomfort they experienced during the administration of the anesthetic agent, during surgery, and postoperatively using a numeric pain scale. Complications and surgical conditions were also evaluated. RESULTS: The retrobulbar group reported significantly more discomfort during administration of the anesthetic agent than the topical group (P < .001). The topical group reported significantly more discomfort intraoperatively (P < .01). Eyelid squeezing and eyeball movement were more common in the topical group; however, neither was a problem to the surgeon. There was no difference in surgical conditions (P = .38) or the postoperative pain scores between the 2 groups (P = .06). One patient receiving topical anesthesia developed a suprachoroidal hemorrhage intraoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Topical anesthesia supplemented with intracameral lidocaine was an effective alternative to retrobulbar anesthesia for phacotrabeculectomy. Although the degree of patient discomfort was significantly higher during surgery under topical anesthesia, the method avoids the pain and complications associated with a retrobulbar injection.