ophthalmic and otic disorders Flashcards
what is glaucoma?
a group of eye disorder in which there is a progressive damage to the optic nerve - characterised by structural abnormalities of the optic nerve head + associated patterns of visual field loss
how is glaucoma classified?
variations in the anterior segment of the eye and appearance of iridocorneal angle - resulting in elevated IOP
what are the 4 types of glaucoma?
- open-angle
- closed-angle
- secondary
- developmental
What is the pathophysiology of chronic open-angle glaucoma?
- overproduction/obstruction to outflow of aq humour through trabecular meshwork or schlemm’s canal
- Increase IOP + damage to optic nerve
What is the pathophysiology of acute angle-closure glaucoma?
- There is an obstruction to the outflow of aq humour
- Narrow angles between the anterior iris and posterior corneal surface, shallow anterior chambers and a thickened iris or bulging iris.
- Increase in IOP
What is the pathophysiology of secondary glaucoma?
trauma and surgery which may increase risk of obstruction of intraocular fluid outflow
clinical presentation of chronic open-angle
- Mild aching
- Pattern of visual field changes (due to compression of retinal rods and nerve fibres)
- Halos around lights
- Often missed as a diagnosis
- Slow progression, painless and irreversible
- Visual acuity and peripheral vision loss w/ mobility difficulties.
clinical presentation of primary angle closure
- Ocular pain
- Redness, blurred vision
- Photophobia, halos around lights
- Nausea and vomiting
- Medical emergency
drugs that may induce open-angle
- Ophthalmic corticosteroids (high)
- Systemic corticosteroids
- nasal/inhaled corticosteroids
- Ophthalmic anticholinergics
drugs that may induce closed-angle
- Topical sympathomimetics
- Systemic anticholinergics
- Antihistamines
- Ipratropium
- Benzodiazepines (low risk)
- Theophylline (low risk)
- Heterocyclic antidepressants
how is glaucoma diagnosed?
- Pressure measurement tonometry
- Fingertip tension - estimates IOP
- Gentle palpation of closed eyelids, one eye feels heavier than the other in acute)
- Gonioscopy - determines angle of eye’s anterior chamber = differentiates whether acute or chronic
- Ophthalmoscopy - shows cupping of optic disk in chronic
- Perimetry or visual field test
- Fundus photography
how is chronic open-angle glaucoma managed?
GOAL OF TREATMENT
- Slow or halt progression so that any visual loss has least impact on QOL
- Reducing IOP with treatment options
- Medications should be the first choice for most patients
- Laser therapy
what is the indication for treatment in chronic open-angled glaucoma?
INDICATION FOR TREATMENT:
IOP > 25 mm Hg
Vertical cup-disk ratio > 0.5
Central corneal thickness < 555 micrometer
what are the therapeutics for chronic open-angle glaucoma?
IOP is determined by balance between inflow and outflow of aq humour:
- inflow is decreased by alpha2, alpha and beta adrenergic blockers; dopamine blockers; carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and adenylate
- outflow is increased by cholinergic agents, prostaglandin analogs and alpha2-adrenergic agonists
initial treatment for chronic open-angle
prostaglandin analogues and beta-blockers eye drops - first line
if these cannot be tolerated or contraindicated - alpha2 adrenergic agonists or carbonic anhydrase inhibitor should be considered.
practice point for the initial treatment of chronic open-angle glaucoma
- treatment is recommended to begin in one eye only (worst eye), using other eye as a control to test for effectiveness
- response to lowering IOP should be checked within 2-6 weeks
subsequent treatment for chronic open-angle
- depending on response to first treatment - either change in medication (inadequate response) or add topical agent
- increase dose of initial agent NOT recommended - only increases ADE
- switch to alternative agent within class or alternative class
- prostaglandin analogues (structurally different to each other)
what happens if there is an inadequate response with initial medication for chronic open-angle
- additional medication is added - HOWVER not from same class
- no combination with prostaglandin analogues and best to use topical and systemic beta blockers
- if more than 2 topical medications are required, suggest surgery or laser therapy
glaucoma response to therapy
- target IOP is 30-50% reduction in pre-treatment IOP
- continuing evaluation of optic disk and visual field
who are recommended to undergo laser trabeculoplasty based on Australian Guidlines?
older patients with open-angle glaucoma that have high risk of visual loss, difficulty in administering eye drops and are unresponsive to medication alone or are poor candidates for incisional surgery