Leading experts from the World Glaucoma Association have announced findings that elevated IOP is the leading risk factor for glaucoma progression and accurate measurement of IOP plays a key role in assessing glaucoma risk disease management.
“It is vital to define clearly how IOP relates to optic nerve damage to improve patient care and to achieve consistency in glaucoma management across the globe,” said Robert N. Weinreb, M.D., Past President of the WGA Chair of the WGA Consensus Committee, Director of the Hamilton Glaucoma Centre and Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Diego, USA. “Our goal is to minimize glaucoma progression to preserve sight and maintain the overall quality of life of our patients.”
The report was based on over two decades of research confirming that IOP is a primary modifiable risk factor for glaucoma. The only demonstrable way in which to prevent and delay glaucoma progression is to lower IOP and should be evaluated on an individual basis. Clinicians should consider the amount of glaucoma damage that has already occurred, the IOP at which the initial optic nerve damage occurred, life expectancy, the status of the fellow eye and family history of glaucoma.