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Standardized definitions of glaucoma subsets needed for clinical research
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BEIJING — Developing standardization for definitions of different kinds of glaucoma could assist in the clinical research and application of glaucoma screening, diagnosis and treatment across the globe, a clinician said here.
 Ramanjit Sihota |
"I think we need to know a little bit more pathogenesis and natural history, especially in terms of angle-closure [glaucoma], but in the long-term, what we need to be able to say is, this definition is easily applicable around the world to this particular kind of glaucoma that we are seeing," Ramanjit Sihota, MD, FRCS, said at Glaucoma Subspecialty Day preceding the 25th APAO Congress.
Dr. Sihota outlined the future of clinical research in glaucoma. In both short-term and long-term clinical research, important goals include developing biomarkers for glaucoma, better screening techniques and more objective glaucomatous neuropathy measurement, she said.
"We need to study what we see around us to be able to get the judgment that we need for the cases that we see. If we look at what we know about glaucoma today, glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. We know that glaucomatous optic neuropathy can be slowed down or even halted," Dr. Sihota said.
Overall, more and improved training and available human resources is needed for glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, as well as awareness of the disease. "Cheap and safe" ways of managing the most common forms of the disease are also needed, she said.
Teleophthalmology could be the way of the future, with diagnosis and management more "widespread" across many countries, she said.
"Coming back to what we in Asia all need is community involvement. A lot of our patients don't stay in cities," she said. "We need to have more specific and sensitive tests."