Reports From the Field: Eye drops delay onset of glaucoma
People at higher risk for developing glaucoma may delay and possibly prevent the disease by using prescribed drops, researchers at the University of California Davis Medical Center have concluded.
Working with researchers at 21 other leading clinical centers in the United States, the researchers found that the eye drops used to treat elevated pressure inside the eye reduced by more than 50% the development of primary open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of glaucoma and one of the nation’s leading causes of vision loss.
In the study, 4.4% of the participants who received the eye drops developed glaucoma within five years, compared with 9.5% of those who did not receive the eye drops.
"The study shows that physicians can make a real impact in preserving the sight of many Americans with ocular hypertension by providing therapies already at their disposal for glaucoma care," says James Brandt, MD, professor of ophthalmology and lead investigator for the study.
The study examined 1,636 people ages 40-80 who had elevated eye pressure but no signs of glaucoma. The study is available at www.nei.nih.gov/glaucomaeyedrops.
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