Question answered by: While there is still no cure for glaucoma, the past year has seen advances in several aspects of the disease – for example, sustained-release glaucoma medications that can improve compliance and treatment efficiency, devices that help clinicians treat glaucoma, and encouraging research results. It is estimated that almost half of glaucoma patients do not take their eyedrop
TGF News
Message From The President
Dear Readers, I extend our best wishes for a healthy and good new year. Here at the Foundation, we are ringing in 2025 with a special project to highlight the observance of Glaucoma Awareness Month. Each day this month, TGF is posting a new message on social media to shine a spotlight on patients and others who are tackling this
Taking Lifestyle into Account
At the June TGF Symposium, a presentation on the genetics of glaucoma was followed by a talk by Pradeep Ramulu, MD, PhD on “Taking Lifestyle into Account.” Dr. Ramulu is chief of glaucoma at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. He asked: “If glaucoma is the third most heritable disease, is there reason to focus
Doctor, I Have a Question. My eye doctor recently took images of my eye using different devices. What do they show?
Question answered by: Clinicians have a range of tools to help diagnose glaucoma and measure its progression. Imaging devices are an important part of the toolbox. You probably had an OCT (optical coherence tomography) test, which allows us to measure the thickness of the different layers of the retina and optic nerve. Just as a sonogram uses sound waves to
The State of Genetic Testing for Glaucoma
When Dr. Janey Wiggs gave a presentation on Genetics and Glaucoma at last summer’s TGF Symposium, she spoke about genetics as a tool we should be using hand in hand with all our other clinical tools. “Glaucoma is actually one of the most heritable of all human conditions,” she explained. “The genetics are so strong for the disease that
How to Support Hard of Hearing Loved Ones with Glaucoma
According to studies, although different factors may cause sensorineural hearing loss and glaucoma, they both share a pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. This means that although the occurrence of both diseases in a single individual is not common, it may happen more often than what was previously thought. As it is, about three million Americans have glaucoma, while 30 million have
Doctor, I Have a Question. I’ve been hearing more about the need for preservative-free glaucoma eye drops. Why is this need increasing?
Question answered by: In the past decade, awareness has gradually increased regarding the high prevalence of ocular surface disease among glaucoma patients, particularly dry eye disease, which is linked to the preservatives in glaucoma drops. Currently, approximately 80% of glaucoma eye drops on the US market contain preservatives. The most commonly used preservative is benzalkonium chloride (BAK), found in concentrations
Message From The President
Dear Readers, As summer nears its end, we are busy planning another season of our already impressive educational programming – aimed both at our growing interested public and the medical community. In this issue, you’ll read about last week’s fascinating webinar featuring Dr. Thomas V. Johnson and the exciting progress in his lab’s work on vision-restoring therapy at Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye
Driving with Glaucoma: Are Car Headlights Getting Brighter?
Light sensitivity and glare are common problems for people with glaucoma. Many glaucoma patients choose to avoid night driving due to the headlight glare that makes is difficult to see well. And today’s car headlights are getting brighter; it’s not your imagination. The newer LED headlights produce a more focused and higher-intensity light beam than their halogen predecessors, so
Eyewear, Diet, and Other Ways to Manage Glaucoma Symptoms
When it comes to caring for your eyes, you need to be on the lookout (pun intended) for more than just refractive errors. Play the long game, and you can address the effects of more serious conditions like macular degeneration, cataracts—and, more importantly, glaucoma. This group of diseases occurs amid high levels of eye pressure, which can damage