African Americans are five times more likely than Whites ...



Shiley Eye Center Glaucoma Study

by Tawny McCray

African Americans are five times more likely than Whites to develop it and 6 times more likely than Whites to become blind from it. It also shows up at an earlier age in African Americans (around 40) and it progresses more rapidly.

It is glaucoma, a disease of the eye marked by increased pressure within the eyeball that can result in damage to the optic disk and gradual loss of vision.

Because of the above reasons and because, by age 70, one in eight African Americans has glaucoma, The Shiley Eye Center at UCSD is conducting a research study to obtain visual function and structure data on eyes of Black Americans. This data will be compared to that of White Americans, obtained through two prospectively designed longitudinal studies at UCSD.

The Shiley Eye Center is looking for African American participants ages 40 and up, diagnosed with primary open angle glaucoma (a disease with a pattern of vision loss associated with an increase in pressure in the eye), ocular hypertensives (those with eye pressure higher than 22mm of mercury, the normal amount) and glaucoma suspects (those who have some evidence they may have glaucoma but it’s not clear cut, their optic disk and visual fields may look suspicious).

They also need African Americans with healthy eyes, ages 20-90.

For glaucoma participants, there will be annual visits for five years, with $50 compensation for each visit. Other benefits include free anti-glaucoma medication for the duration of the study and diagnostic tests.

For normal eye participants, there will be two visits in the first year, also with a compensation of $50 per visit.

The Shiley Eye Center will be recruiting until January 2005 and need a total of 200 glaucoma patients and 50 healthy eye patients.

Research procedures include ocular examinations (undilated and dilated), keratometry (measures the thickness of the cornea), tonometry (measures the pressure inside the eye), imaging tests (takes images of the optic disk and retinal nerve fiber layer) and three visual fields examinations (measures you peripheral or side vision). There are no known risks to any of these tests.

The aims of the study are to establish normative values for visual function in Black eyes; to compare differences in visual function tests and optic nerve structure between normal, ocular hypertensive and glaucomatous Black and White eyes; to determine if benefits found in Whites using specific perimetry tests for earlier detection and monitoring progression are also found in Blacks; and to compare the rate and progression of glaucomatous damage in Black and White eyes.

As stated on the Web site , millions of Americans have glaucoma and almost 100,000 cases are diagnosed each year. Ninety percent of those cases have open angle glaucoma.

Those at risk for glaucoma, according to the same Web site, include those who: have high IOP, a family history of glaucoma, severe near-sightedness (myopia), African ancestry, Diabetes, are older than 45, have used steroids or cortisone for a long time or had a previous eye injury.

The Web site MedLB/ says the reasons for the high rate in African Americans is still uncertain, but they may include: a greater susceptibility to damage of the optic nerve, a higher prevalence of earlier onset of IOP and lower utilization of resources for detection and treatment of glaucoma.

African Americans can protect themselves against vision loss from glaucoma by being aware of their higher risk level and by having regular eye exams for glaucoma at appropriate intervals (African Americans age 20-39 without symptoms for glaucoma should have a comprehensive eye exam every three to five years and those over age 40 should have their eyes examined through dilated pupils at least every two years).

There are no early warning signs of glaucoma and there is no cure, however studies suggest that treating and reducing the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) helps slow the risk of further progression of the disease.

The UCSD glaucoma study hopes to understand why African Americans have a higher rate of glaucoma than Whites, but it needs your participation. If you or someone you know would like more information please call Tess Acera at (858) 822-1643 or Eric Cabezas at (858) 534-8413.

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