The association between glaucoma treatment adherence with disease progression and loss to follow-up.

Prospective cohort study from Brazil to evaluate glaucoma treatment adherence using a medication event monitoring system (MEMS) device and correlate with glaucoma progression and loss to follow-up (LTF) after one year of follow up. We included primary open glaucoma (POAG) patients treated with at least one ocular hypotensive eye drop. MEMS devices was used to monitor adherence for 60 days and evaluate the percentage of doses prescribed taken within the 60-day period. We classified patients according to rates of adherence: low adherence (less than 75% from MEMS measurements) and high adherence (more than 75% from MEMS measurements). We applied a questionnaire to investigated self-reported behavior towards treatment behaviors (glaucoma treatment compliance assessment tool, GTCAT). We also correlated rates of treatment adherence with clinical, demographical variables and the occurrence of glaucoma progression or LTF after one year of observation. We included 110 POAG patients and found that 28.18% of them were considered low adherent. We identify several variables associated with poor adherence such as glaucoma progression, LTF, younger age, low educational and income levels, absence of health insurance, years of disease and peak intraocular pressure. Several constructs from the self-reported GTCAT were also correlated with the rates of treatment adherence. To date, this is the first study in Latin America to evaluate glaucoma treatment adherence with MEMS devices and correlate adherence rates with glaucoma progression and LTF. We found a low-adherence rate of 28.18% and several additional risk factors were statistically associated with poor adherence.

Selective laser trabeculoplasty is safe and effective in patients previously treated with prostaglandin analogs: An evidence-based review.

PURPOSE: Prostaglandin analogs (PGAs) are first-line treatments for ocular hypertension (OHT) and open-angle glaucoma (OAG). However, frequent side effects and high costs hinder patient's compliance resulting in disease progression. Evidence suggests selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) may be considered a first-line treatment for OHT and OAG due to its safety profile, minor side effects, and reduced costs. Considering that PGAs and SLT share action mechanisms, it is hypothesized that previous PGA therapy may affect subsequent SLT efficacy. Therefore, we analyzed if PGAs reduce SLT efficacy. METHODS: An evidence-based review was performed to assess the safety and efficacy of SLT in patients previously treated with PGAs. For this purpose, we performed an extensive literature search using the National Library of Medicine's PubMed and Google Scholar database for all English language articles published until May 2021. RESULTS: There is evidence of non-superiority of PGAs therapy versus SLT for OHT and OAG. A multicenter, randomized, observer-masked clinical trial (RCT) of untreated OHT and OAG patients concluded that SLT should be offered as the first-line treatment for these patients. This study was supported by a meta-analysis of RCTs, comparing SLT efficacy versus antiglaucoma drugs only, with the advantage of an SLT lower rate of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Cost-effectiveness, patient compliance, and antiglaucoma drugs' side effects, including higher surgical failure, favor consideration of SLT as first-line therapy for OAG and OHT. Furthermore, SLT efficacy does not seem to be affected by prior PGA administration; however, larger cohort, comparative, multicenter RCTs are necessary to answer this question.

New antiglaucomatous agent for the treatment of open angle glaucoma: Polymeric inserts for drug release and in vitro and in vivo study.

A benzamidine derivative from diminazene was tested for a novel activity: treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma. This drug was incorporated into mucoadhesive polymeric inserts prepared using chitosan (Chs) and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Of current interest is the mucoadhesion, which increases the contact time with the ocular surface, resulting in improved bioavailability; also, the inserts are made to act as a prolonged release system. In the present work the inserts were prepared by the solvent casting method using different polymeric proportions (30:70, 50:50, 75:25% w/w Chs:CS and 100% Chs). Thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy both demonstrated physical dispersion of the active drug. The most promising was the 50:50% Chs:CS which demonstrated that it was not fragile and has an in vitro release profile of up to 180 minutes. In addition, it presented greater adhesion strength in relation to the other formulations. These physicochemical results corroborate the in vivo tests performed. In this sense, we also demonstrated that the treatment with the 50:50% insert can control the intraocular pressure (IOP) for at least 3 weeks and prevents damage to the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) compared to the placebo insert. Thus, this indicates thus that the new drug is quite viable and promising in glaucoma treatment.

Influência da anestesia geral e bloqueio peribulbar em trabeculectomias: comparação visual e pressórica / Peribulbar blockage and general anesthesia influency in trabeculectomies: visual and pressure effects

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os resultados de trabeculectomias (TRECs) com anestesia geral e bloqueio peribulbar, visando definir de forma indireta a influência das técnicas anestésicas no resultado da cirurgia. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados os prontuários de 25 pacientes com glaucoma não controlado submetidos à trabeculectomia (TREC), sendo 11 com anestesia geral e 14 com anestesia peribulbar. Foram incluídos somente pacientes pseudofácicos com glaucoma e sem outras patologias oculares como retinopatia diabética ou doença macular relacionada a idade. A acuidade visual (AV), pressão intraocultar (PIO), número de medicações utilizadas, além de dados demográficos foram coletados retrospectivamente com 7, 30, 6 meses e 1 ano de pós-operatório. RESULTADOS: Ambos os grupos foram semelhantes nos quesitos demográficos, onde não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre idade, sexo e raça. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas nas variáveis estudadas em todas as avaliações, com significância estatística (p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: Não encontramos diferenças entre os resultados de TRECs com anestesia geral e com bloqueio peribulbar, porém mais estudos com um número maior de pacientes são necessários para comprovar este achado.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trabeculetomies results with peribulbar anesthesia and general anesthesia and to watch the influence by this two techniques in the surgery result. METHODS: It was analyzed charts of 25 patients with uncontrolled glaucoma that undergone trabeculectomy, 11 patients had general anesthesia and 14 with peribulbar anesthesia. It was included in this study pseudophakic patients with glaucoma. We excluded other ocular patologies such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, number of medications and demographic data were collected. The data were analyzed in 7 days, 30 days, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. RESULTS: Both groups were similar in demographic data, with no statically significance among age, sex and race. We didn't find significant differences in the variables studied in all evaluations, with statisctically significance (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was no statistically difference between patients submitted to surgery with general anesthesia or peribulbar anesthesia. We need a larger group of patients to comprove it.