A Review of Corneal Biomechanics and Scleral Stiffness in Topical Prostaglandin Analog Therapy for Glaucoma.

PURPOSE: The mechanism of action underlying prostaglandin analog (PGA) therapy involves changes in the expression of different metalloproteases to increase permeability of the sclera and allow increased aqueous humor outflow through this alternative drainage pathway. This alteration of structure impacts cornea/scleral biomechanics and may introduce artifact into the measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) in the clinical setting. METHODS: A literature search reviewing the impact of PGA therapy on corneal and scleral biomechanics was conducted including basic studies, clinical studies with treatment naïve patients, and a clinical study examining the cessation of PGA therapy. Additional literature including engineering texts was added for greater clarity of the concepts underlying ocular biomechanics. RESULTS: One study with an animal model reported significant corneal stiffening with PGA treatment. Most longitudinal clinical studies examining the effects of initiation of PGA therapy in PGA naïve subjects failed to report biomechanical parameters associated with stiffness using the Corvis ST and only included those parameters strongly influenced by IOP. One study reported a significant reduction in scleral stiffness with IOP as a co-variate, highlighting the need to account for the effects of IOP lowering when assessing clinical biomechanics. The report of cessation of PGA therapy on corneal biomechanics showed no change in corneal compensated IOP after 6 weeks, raising the question of reversibility of the PGA-induced structural alteration. CONCLUSIONS: Given that the findings in several clinical studies may merely reflect a reduction in IOP, further studies are warranted using Corvis ST parameters associated with corneal and scleral stiffness. The gold standard for IOP measurement in the clinical setting is Goldmann applanation tonometry, a technique previously shown to be affected by corneal stiffness. Since PGA therapy has been reported to alter not only scleral biomechanics, but also corneal biomechanics, it is essential to consider alternative tonometry technologies in the clinic.

Evaluating the Relationship of Intraocular Pressure and Anterior Chamber Volume With Use of Prostaglandin Analogues.

PRCIS: In this prospective study, naive prostaglandin use in primary open-angle glaucoma was associated with scleral biomechanical alteration and intraocular pressure (IOP) measuring errors. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of naïve use of prostaglandin analogues (PGA) on IOP and anterior chamber volume (ACV), as well as investigate how PGAs might affect corneal and scleral stiffness and their impact on ocular rigidity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a prospective study of 21 recently diagnosed open-angle glaucoma patients (33 eyes) initiating medical therapy with a topical prostaglandin eye drop. Corneal morphologic and biomechanical parameters as well as IOP were measured at 3 visits over a 4-month period with the following equipment: Pentacam, Corvis ST, Ocular Response Analyzer, Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) and Pascal dynamic contour tonometry. RESULTS: The study demonstrated a significant decrease in mean IOP with initiation of PGA in all 4 tonometers (P<0.0001). The greatest change in IOP occurred in the first 4 weeks of treatment (P<0.0001). The mean ACV showed a significant decrease at visit 2 (P<0.02) and visit 3 (P<0.04) compared with baseline visit 1. However, there was a paradoxical increase in ACV in 37% of eyes at visit 2, despite a significant mean reduction in IOP by GAT and dynamic contour tonometry.The IOP/ACV ratio at visit 1 significantly predicted the reduction in respective measures of IOP, as well as scleral stiffness measured by stiffness parameter-highest concavity. CONCLUSION: In clinical practice, GAT may not be the most appropriate tonometer for measuring IOP in PGA treated eyes due the measurement errors from ocular biomechanical alteration. The IOP/ACV ratio could potentially serve as a new diagnostic parameter to determine the likelihood of PGA treatment success.

Breaking bad news: A communication competency for ophthalmology training programs.

As the ophthalmology accreditation system undergoes major changes, training programs must evaluate residents in the 6 core competencies, including appropriately communicating bad news. Although the literature is replete with recommendations for breaking bad news across various non-ophthalmology specialties, no formal training programs exist for ophthalmology. There are many valuable lessons to be learned from our colleagues regarding this important skill. We examine the historic basis for breaking bad news, explore current recommendations among other specialties, and then evaluate a pilot study in breaking bad news for ophthalmology residents. The results of this study are limited by a small number of residents at a single academic center. Future studies from multiple training programs should be conducted to further evaluate the need and efficacy of formal communication skills training in this area, as well as the generalizability of our pilot training program. If validated, this work could serve as a template for future ophthalmology resident training and evaluation in this core competency.