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Anecortave acetate injection could change glaucoma treatment paradigm
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 Alan L. Robin |
WAILEA, Hawaii — A single anecortave acetate injection for the treatment of glaucoma may be a better option than eye drops due to such issues as patient compliance with drops, according to a speaker here.
Alan L. Robin, MD, told the audience at Hawaiian Eye 2009 that "corticosteroids are not all bad."
The advantages of Retaane (anecortave acetate, Alcon), he said, are that it is relatively insoluble, acts locally without anti-inflammatory activity, does not raise IOP and does not cause cataracts.
Dr. Robin said the technique involves a 30-gauge needle injection of 0.8 cc of 3% anecortave suspension through a sub-Tenon's location either inferiorly or temporally.
 Jorge A. Alvarado |
"Significant questions here are, what is the right dose, what is the proper duration of action, what is the best delivery? These are all questions that will need to be answered in the next years," he said.
A pilot study is being published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.
Jorge A. Alvarado, MD, was awarded Speaker of the Day for his presentation, Glaucoma Laser Therapy: From the Bedside to the Bench and Back Again, discussing the relationship between prostaglandin analogs and selective laser trabeculoplasty. Dr. Alvarado presented results of a prospective study of 20 eyes from 13 patients who had been treated successfully with SLT after removal of prostaglandin analogs.