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Extension of OHTS finds effect of IOP lowering in black patients
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Black patients with ocular hypertension who received IOP-lowering treatment were almost 50% less likely to develop glaucoma than those who received no medication in an extension of a large prospective study.
Data from the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS), initially released 2 years ago, found that treating people with ocular hypertension could delay or present the onset of glaucoma. At the time of the initial publication, the results for the subgroup of black patients in the study trended in that direction but were not conclusive, according to a press release from the National Eye Institute.
In this follow-up study, Eve Higginbotham, MD, and colleagues analyzed data from 408 black patients in the OHTS. Of those who received daily topical IOP-lowering medications, 8.1% developed glaucoma, compared with 16.1% of those who received no medication.
The researchers stressed the need to identify black patients at higher risk so they can receive prompt evaluation, according to the NEI press release.
“When determining treatment, doctors should take into account several risk factors, including specific anatomical characteristics of the optic nerve and the cornea,” Dr. Higginbotham said in the press release. “While African Americans participating in the study were more likely than others to have these specific physical characteristics, the study results underscore the importance of measuring these ocular risk factors rather than relying solely on the race or ethnicity of the individual.”
The follow-up report is published in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.