Eye drops may help prevent glaucoma: study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Drops used to treat high pressure in the eye can
delay and may even prevent glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, US
researchers said on Thursday.

Patients who got the drops were less than half as likely to develop
glaucoma as those who did not, the national team of researchers found.

"There are millions of people in the United States and in other countries
who are at risk of developing glaucoma because they have high pressure in
their eyes," Dr. Michael Kass, head of the Department of Ophthalmology at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, said in a
statement.

"This study provides the first good evidence that treating those people may
delay, or possibly even prevent, the blinding eye disease glaucoma," Kass
stated.

Ophthalmologists at 22 centers studied 1,636 people aged between 40 and 80
who had high pressure within their eyeballs.

This condition is caused by a build-up of fluid in the eye that can put
pressure on the optic nerve.

An estimated 3 million to 6 million people in the United States alone have
high eye pressure and more than 66 million worldwide have glaucoma.

As the optic nerve is pressed, vision is gradually and almost imperceptibly
lost.

"Glaucoma is often referred to as the sneak thief of sight because it often
occurs with no pain or symptoms," Dr. Ronald Gross of the Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston, Texas, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

"Many times patients don't notice a difference in peripheral vision until
the problem has progressed. Therefore, it is essential to visit an
ophthalmologist to detect the condition early," Gross added.

The eye drops only decreased pressure in the patients' eyes by 20%, but
this translated into a big drop in the rate of glaucoma, the researchers
report in this week's issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.

"During the 5-year study period, we found that only 4.4% of the study
patients who received the eye drops developed glaucoma," Mae Gordon of the
Washington University School of Medicine, said.

"By comparison, 9.5% of the study participants who did not get
pressure-lowering drops developed glaucoma."

The researchers found that older people and blacks were more likely to
develop glaucoma.

In addition, factors such as higher eye pressure, the anatomy of the optic
nerve and thinness of the cornea could help predict who would go on to
develop glaucoma.

This should help eye doctors decide who to treat with eye drops, said Dr.
Paul Sieving, director of the National Eye Institute.

"Not all people with elevated eye pressure should be treated with the eye
drops. If you are at risk for glaucoma, see your eye care professional to
receive a comprehensive eye exam and find out if eye drops might help," he
said.

Kass agreed.

"Eye care professionals should not prescribe eye drops for all people who
have elevated eye pressure with no sign of glaucoma," he said.

"Doctors should take into account several factors, including the simple
fact that 90% of participants in the observation group did not develop
glaucoma within the 5-year study period."

By Maggie Fox
Last Updated: 2002-06-13 16:59:21 -0400 (Reuters Health)
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited.
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2002/06/13/eline/links/20020613elin041.
html

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