Presbyopia
Overview Presbyopia (from the Greek presbys , elder or old, and, – ops , eye) is a progressive condition where the ability to focus on nearby objects is gradually lost…
Blood flow changes in glaucoma
Clinical background The idea that factors other than elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) contribute to the pathophysiological processes underlying glaucoma was formulated more than 150 years ago. Von Graefe was the…
Steroid-induced cataract
Clinical background Since the successful use of steroids in 1948 in the suppression of clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis, numerous compounds with glucocorticoid activity have been synthesized. Today, they represent…
Diabetes-associated cataracts
Clinical background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an expanding major health problem. By the year 2030, it is anticipated that the worldwide incidence of DM will roughly double to 366 million,…
Posterior capsule opacification
Clinical background Cataract, a pathology of the ocular lens, is the leading cause of blindness worldwide despite the availability of effective surgery in developed countries. According to the World Health…
Biochemical mechanisms of age-related cataract
Clinical background A cataract is any opacification of the lens. Visually significant cataracts may be present at birth or may occur at any time thereafter, but incidence increases exponentially after…
Wound-healing responses to glaucoma surgery
Clinical background Scarring constitutes the major threat to long-term success after most forms of glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS). Successful modulation of scarring increases the percentage of patients achieving final intraocular…
Exfoliation (pseudoexfoliation) syndrome
Introduction ( Box 24.1 ) Exfoliation syndrome (XFS) is an age-related disease characterized by the production and progressive accumulation of a fibrillar extracellular material in many ocular tissues. First described…
Angle closure glaucoma
Overview Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is an important cause of glaucoma worldwide, especially in East Asia, and the leading cause of bilateral glaucoma blindness in countries such as Singapore,…
Retinal ganglion cell death in glaucoma
Clinical background Glaucoma is a collection of optic neuropathies that exhibit similar clinical phenotypes of thinning of the nerve fiber layer and excavation or cupping of the optic nerve head….
