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Glaucoma risk calculators can help manage ocular hypertension, but care is needed
NAPLES, Fla. — Glaucoma risk calculators can be useful in managing ocular hypertension patients, but they are limited in their ability to predict the development of glaucoma, according to a surgeon speaking here.
John Danias, MD, PhD, discussed the available glaucoma risk calculators, their strengths and their limitations, at the Florida Society of Ophthalmology meeting.
"Risk calculators are not a new concept. ... They allow for the individualization of results from large clinical trials," Dr. Danias said. "Ultimately, we hope we will have glaucoma risk calculators that will give us the estimate of that particular individual for developing glaucoma over his lifetime."
Dr. Danias described two risk calculators, the Ocular Hypertension Study (OHTS) calculator and the Hamilton Eye Center Glaucoma Risk Calculator, which was validated with an independent population. Both drew their data from mainly Caucasian populations, and each one uses different methods to calculate their risk estimates.
What the physician does with the predictions made by using these tools is an individual decision, Dr. Danias said. He noted that a study recently published by Steven M. Kymes, MD, and colleagues suggested that it may be cost effective to treat patients with IOP of 24 mm Hg or more and a 2% or greater chance of development of glaucoma.