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Glaucoma
Awareness Month, January 2012
By Paul A. Sieving,
M.D., Ph.D.
Director of the National Eye Institute
Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 |
Glaucoma is a major cause of vision loss in the
United States, affecting about 2.2 million
Americans. The National Eye Institute (NEI) leads
research toward better prevention, detection, and
treatment of this often silent but devastating
disease. During Glaucoma Awareness Month, NEI
highlights research advances, showcases education
and awareness efforts, and reminds Americans that
early detection and treatment is the best way to
prevent vision loss. NEI advises all Americans at
risk of glaucoma to get a comprehensive dilated eye
exam every one to two years.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damages the
optic nerve, the bundle of nerve cells that relays
visual information from the eye to the brain. In the
most common form of glaucoma, called primary open
angle glaucoma, nerve damage results from an
increase in intraocular pressure — the pressure
inside the eye. Increased intraocular pressure
occurs when the fluid that circulates in and out of
the front part of the eye drains too slowly.
Glaucoma is usually painless, initially affects
peripheral vision, and progresses slowly, which
helps explain why half of all people with glaucoma
are unaware they have it. Without adequate
treatment, glaucoma eventually affects central
vision and progresses to blindness. Vision loss from
glaucoma is irreversible.
Glaucoma is a complex disease and progress toward
preventing or reversing the condition has been slow;
however, NEI's multipronged approach to glaucoma
research is making great strides. Epidemiological
studies funded by NEI have identified populations at
higher risk of glaucoma, including African-Americans
ages 40 and older; everyone age 60 and older,
especially Mexican Americans; and people with a
family history of the disease.
The
NEI-led Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS)
and the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS)
helped refine strategies for reducing
glaucoma-related vision loss. The OHTS established
that medicated eye drops to reduce intraocular
pressure are effective at delaying or preventing
disease among people identified to be at high risk
of glaucoma. The AGIS found that specific traits
such as race/ethnicity can help predict which type
of surgical treatment is more likely to achieve
better visual results.
NEI
continues to fund research to advance techniques
such as confocal laser scanning ophthalmoscopy and
optical coherence tomography, which are used to
image the retina and optic nerve. Studies such as
the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the
Advanced Imaging for Glaucoma Study are using these
techniques to develop better tools to diagnose and
manage glaucoma.
NEI
researchers are devising new techniques to study
glaucoma disease mechanisms, such as new mouse
models that simulate glaucoma. Such models enable
scientists to study how increased eye pressure
causes optic nerve cell death.
Some
people have normal intraocular pressure despite
having glaucoma. A major focus of NEI glaucoma
research is the development of neuroprotective
treatment strategies. NEI scientists are pursuing
gene therapy, stem cells, and vaccines as potential
therapies to protect precious optic nerve cells.
Such therapies may apply to multiple visual
neuropathies and, importantly, glaucoma that does
not respond to eye pressure-lowering treatments.
The
NEI National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP)
provides a variety of educational resources, in
English and Spanish, as part of its broad eye health
outreach effort. New this year is the Keep Vision in
Your Future Glaucoma Toolkit, designed for health
professionals and community organizations to raise
awareness about the importance of comprehensive
dilated eye exams for early detection of glaucoma.
According to an NEI survey, more than 90 percent of
Americans have heard of glaucoma. However, only 8
percent are aware glaucoma has no early symptoms.
During Glaucoma Awareness Month, NEHEP is targeting
people at higher risk of glaucoma by working with
media outlets to disseminate glaucoma information.
Help
spread the word this January. Early detection and
treatment is the best way to prevent vision loss
from glaucoma. Encourage those at risk to get a
comprehensive dilated eye exam.
For more information about
glaucoma research programs at NEI, visit
www.nei.nih.gov.
For more information about
glaucoma, comprehensive dilated eye exams, and
financial assistance available for eye care, visit
www.nei.nih.gov/glaucoma.
To find educational resources
available from NEHEP, visit
www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/programs/glaucoma.
The
National Eye Institute, part of the National
Institutes of Health, leads the federal government’s
research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI
supports basic and clinical science programs that
result in the development of sight-saving
treatments.
(Sourceanuary
4, 2012)
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