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Family history crucial in glaucoma diagnosis, clinician says
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KOLOA, Hawaii – Always inquire about family history when diagnosing a patient with glaucoma, said John R. Samples, MD.
“If I have one take-home message for you, it is if high pressure open-angle glaucoma appears to be a single disease, that is not the case. Inquire about family history” when making a clinical diagnosis, Dr. Samples said here at Hawaii 2004: the Royal Hawaiian Eye Meeting.
Dr. Samples further explained that the open-angle glaucomas are a group of diseases with different clinical characteristics, so the physician should be as thorough as possible when taking the family history. During a presentation on genetics in glaucoma, he said, “Genetic testing will allow us more to predict a patient’s clinical behavior.”
He added that within the next year, more results on neuroprotection with gene therapy will become available. “We are in an era of genetic therapy,” Dr. Samples said.