Glaucomatous Progression After Lens Extraction in Primary Angle Closure Disease Spectrum

Cost-effectiveness analysis of prophylactic laser peripheral iridotomy for primary angle-closure suspect in Japan

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of prophylactic laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) with that of observation for primary angle-closure suspect (PACS) in Japan.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A Markov model was developed to compare the costs and utilities of prophylactic LPI with those of observation of 40-year-old patients with PACS. In the model with a yearly cycle over a 20-year time horizon, the disease was postulated to irreversibly progress from PACS to primary angle closure, followed by primary angle-closure glaucoma, unilateral blindness, and bilateral blindness. The parameters were estimated mainly based on a recent randomised controlled trial and analyses of Japanese claims data. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was estimated from the healthcare payer's perspective and evaluated at the willingness-to-pay 5 million Japanese Yen per quality-adjusted life-year. The observation period and the age at entry into the cohort was changed to account for a variety of clinical courses in sensitivity analyses. We conducted one-way deterministic sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis with Monte Carlo simulations with 10 000 iterations.

RESULTS

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of LPI was 2,287,662 Japanese Yen (14,298 pounds sterling) per quality-adjusted life-year, which was below the willingness-to-pay threshold. The ratios were approximately 4 and 8 million in the 15-year and 10-year time horizons, respectively. Increasing the age at entry had little influence on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. The deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that prophylactic LPI for middle-aged patients with PACS is cost-effective in Japan.

Clinical risk stratification in glaucoma

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in the United Kingdom and the provision of timely glaucoma care has been highlighted as a significant challenge in recent years. Following a recent high-profile investigation, The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch recommended the validation of risk stratification models to safeguard the vision-related quality of life of glaucoma patients. There continues to be no nationally agreed evidence-based risk stratification model for glaucoma care across the United Kingdom. Some models have used simple measures of disease staging such as visual field mean deviation as surrogates for risk, but more refined, individualised risk stratification models should include factors related to both visual impairment and visual disability. Candidate tools should also incorporate both ocular and systemic co-morbidities, rate of disease progression, visual needs and driving status and undergo clinical refinement and validation to justify implementation. The disruption to routine glaucoma care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the importance of such risk stratification models and has accelerated their development, application and evaluation. This review aims to critically appraise the available evidence underpinning current approaches for glaucoma risk stratification and to discuss how these may be applied to contemporary glaucoma care within the United Kingdom. Further research will be essential to justify and validate the utility of glaucoma risk stratification models in everyday clinical practice.

Machine learning-couched treatment algorithms tailored to individualized profile of patients with primary anterior chamber angle closure predisposed to the glaucomatous optic neuropathy

Background

Primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) is still one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness, with a trend towards an increase in the number of patients to 32.04 million by 2040, an increase of 58.4% compared with 2013. Health risk assessment based on multi-level diagnostics and machine learning-couched treatment algorithms tailored to individualized profile of patients with primary anterior chamber angle closure are considered essential tools to reverse the trend and protect vulnerable subpopulations against health-to-disease progression.

Aim

To develop a methodology for personalized choice of an effective method of primary angle closure (PAC) treatment based on comparing the prognosis of intraocular pressure (IOP) changes due to laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) or lens extraction (LE).

Methods

The multi-parametric data analysis was used to develop models predicting individual outcomes of the primary angle closure (PAC) treatment with LPI and LE. For doing this, we suggested a positive dynamics in the intraocular pressure (IOP) after treatment, as the objective measure of a successful treatment. Thirty-seven anatomical parameters have been considered by applying artificial intelligence to the prospective study on 30 (LE) + 30 (LPI) patients with PAC.

Results and data interpretation in the framework of 3P medicine

Based on the anatomical and topographic features of the patients with PAC, mathematical models have been developed that provide a personalized choice of LE or LPI in the treatment. Multi-level diagnostics is the key tool in the overall advanced approach. To this end, for the future application of AI in the area, it is strongly recommended to consider the following:Clinically relevant phenotyping applicable to advanced population screeningSystemic effects causing suboptimal health conditions considered in order to cost-effectively protect affected individuals against health-to-disease transitionClinically relevant health risk assessment utilizing health/disease-specific molecular patterns detectable in body fluids with high predictive power such as a comprehensive tear fluid analysis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-023-00337-1.

Comparison of Lens Extraction Versus Laser Iridotomy on Anterior Segment, Choroid, and Intraocular Pressure in Primary Angle Closure Using Machine Learning

PRCIS

Treatment strategy of primary angle closure (PAC) is not clear due to the large number of clinical and anatomic-topographic parameters in PAC, influencing the treatment algorithm. Using the machine learning method DD-SIMCA, we justify the expediency of early lens extraction (LE) in PAC.

PURPOSE

To compare the anatomic and functional efficacy of LE and laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) in patients with PAC using Machine Learning.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 120 patients aged 41-80 years: 60 eyes with PAC, 30 with PAC suspects, and 30 with healthy eyes (control). Thirty PAC eyes with intraocular pressure (IOP) up to 30 mm Hg were treated using LE with intraocular lens implantation and 30 eyes with LPI. All subjects underwent Swept Source optical coherence tomography. We analyzed 35 parameters of each eye including the lens vault, the choroidal thickness, the anterior chamber angle, and iris specifications such as iris curvature. Considering the correlations between them, the machine learning method DD-SIMCA 1-class classification was applied: the proximity of each sample to the target class (control) was characterized by the total distance to it.

RESULTS

After LE, IOP was significantly lower than after LPI ( P =0). Every third eye with PAC after LE reached the target class: specificity according to DD-SIMCA equals 0.67. This was not observed for the eyes after LPI: specificity equals 1.0. After LE, all parameters of the anterior chamber angle did not differ from the control (all P >0.05). After LPI, there was an increase in anterior chamber depth ( P =0) and a decrease in lens vault ( P =0), but results comparable to the control were achieved only for iris curvature ( P =1.000).

CONCLUSION

The efficacy of LE in PAC is higher than LPI due to the better postoperative anterior chamber topography and lower IOP. This study lends further clinical and anatomic support to the emerging notion of LE as an effective treatment for PAC.

Ten-year outcomes of cataract surgery for glaucoma management in patients with primary angle-closure disease

PURPOSE

To investigate the long-term outcomes of cataract surgery for glaucoma management in patients with primary angle-closure disease (PACD).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

METHODS

We reviewed the medical records of 87 eyes of 87 patients with PACD who underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery alone at the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital. Only patients with a minimum follow-up of 10 years were included. The patients were divided into PACD spectrum categories: primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), primary-angle closure (PAC), and primary angle-closure suspect (PACS). The treatment outcomes were compared among the 3 groups. Intraocular pressure (IOP), number of glaucoma eye drops, requirement of additional glaucoma treatment, visual field progression, and progression to glaucoma during the follow-up period were evaluated.

RESULTS

Among the 87 patients, 39 had PACG; 26, PAC; and 22, PACS. Ten years after surgery, the IOP had significantly decreased from baseline in all 3 groups. The rate of requirement of additional glaucoma treatment during the follow-up period was significantly higher in the PACG group than in the other groups. Almost half of the patients with PACG required additional glaucoma treatment; of those patients, six (15.4%) underwent glaucoma surgery. Three patients (11.5%) with PAC required additional glaucoma medication. Visual field progression was observed in 28.1% of the patients with PACG. In 1 patient with PAC, the condition progressed to PACG, but there was no such progression in any of the patients with PACS.

CONCLUSIONS

We confirmed that cataract surgery had a long-term (> 10 years) effect on IOP reduction in eyes with PACD. Early intervention with cataract surgery may be preferable for glaucoma management in patients with PACD.

Assessment of Iridotrabecular Contact and Its Association With Intraocular Pressure After Phacoemulsification in Primary Angle Closure

PURPOSE

To investigate the association between the quantitative assessment of iridotrabecular contact (ITC), measured by swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (SS AS-OCT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) control after phacoemulsification in patients with primary angle closure disease (PACD).

DESIGN

Retrospective, clinical cohort study.

METHODS

Preoperative and postoperative anterior chamber angle parameters were measured using SS AS-OCT. IOP was measured preoperatively and until 6 months postoperatively. Percent IOP reduction and fluctuation after surgery were calculated, and their relationships with SS AS-OCT parameters were assessed by correlation analyses and locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (LOWESS) regression with change-point analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 51 eyes of 51 PACD patients were included. Preoperative ITC index and area (r = 0.626, r = 0.551), as well as changes in ITC index and area (r = 0.632, r = 0.543) after surgery, were significantly correlated with postoperative IOP reduction, after adjusting for age and gender (all P <.001). Higher postoperative ITC index (r = 0.405, P = .005) and ITC area (r = 0.460, P = 0.001) were associated with greater postoperative IOP fluctuations. Change points on LOWESS curves were observed for preoperative ITC index (33.0%) and change in ITC index (27.0%) and percent IOP reductions were significantly correlated with them above (β = 0.386, β = 0.664, all P < .001) but not below the change points.

CONCLUSIONS

Quantitative assessment of circumferential ITC can predict postoperative IOP control after phacoemulsification, and thus it may be used as a reference for determining lens extraction in PACD eyes.

Factors Associated with Deterioration of Primary Angle Closure after Lens Extraction

The purpose of the study was to explore factors associated with glaucomatous deterioration in eyes with primary angle closure (PAC) after lens extraction, including PAC suspect (PACS), PAC, and PAC glaucoma (PACG). We retrospectively analyzed data of 77 eyes with PACS, PAC, and PACG that underwent lens extraction with more than 2 years postoperative follow-up. Postoperative glaucoma progression was analyzed by either structural (optic disc/retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) photographs or optical coherent tomography (OCT)) or functional (visual field (VF)) criterion. Cox proportional hazard analysis (hazard ratio (HR)) was used to determine risk factors for progression using uni-and multivariate analysis. The analysis was conducted in groups with or without glaucomatous optic neuropathy (PACS/PAC vs. PACG). Forty-one eyes with PACS/PAC and 36 eyes with PACG were included. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 3.5 ± 1.4 years. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was reduced postoperatively from 23.1 ± 14.4 to 13.4 ± 2.1 mmHg. In the PACS/PAC group, seven eyes (17.0%) showed structural progression, but none showed progression in VF. Preoperative RNFL thickness was the only risk factor for structural progression (HR = 0.928, p = 0.002) in the PACS/PAC group. In the PACG group, 24 eyes (66.7%) showed structural progression and 12 eyes (33.3%) showed VF progression. Thinner preoperative RNFL thickness (HR = 0.964, p = 0.043) and high postoperative IOP fluctuation (HR = 1.296, p = 0.011) were significantly associated with VF progression; none of the factors were associated with structural progression. Angle closure eyes with thinner baseline RNFL thickness and higher postoperative IOP fluctuation may require careful follow-up for glaucoma progression after lens extraction.

Glaucoma Progression After Lens Extraction in Primary Angle-closure Glaucoma According to Angle-closure Mechanism

PRCIS

Long-term prognosis of primary angle-closure was assessed after lens extraction (LE) according to different mechanisms of angle closure (AC). Patients with pupillary block (PB) had a higher probability of glaucomatous progression than patients with plateau iris configuration (PIC).

PURPOSE

The aim was to investigate and compare the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of primary angle-closure disease (PACD) after LE according to different mechanisms of AC.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational cohort study, 118 eyes with PACD that underwent LE (mean follow-up; 6.0±3.5 y after surgery) were included. PACD eyes were categorized into three subgroups according to their dominant AC mechanisms, determined by anterior segment optic coherent tomography obtained before LE; PB, PIC, and exaggerated lens vault (ELV). Postoperative glaucomatous progression was determined according to functional (visual field) or structural (optic disc photographs or optic coherent tomography measured retinal nerve fiber layer thickness) criteria. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors associated with glaucomatous progression.

RESULTS

Fifty-two, 51, and 15 eyes with PB, PIC, and ELV, respectively, were included. All eyes showed significant intraocular pressure reduction, with a greater reduction in the ELV group than in the PB group after LE (27.0% vs. 12.5%, P=0.018). Lower baseline retinal nerve fiber layer thickness [odds ratio (OR): 0.966, P=0.004] and thinner central corneal thickness (OR: 0.985, P=0.021), and the PB group (OR: 2.891, P=0.022, reference to PIC group) were significantly associated with glaucomatous progression after LE.

CONCLUSIONS

In eyes with PACD, glaucoma progression was observed following LE despite reduced intraocular pressure. The probability of progression was highest in eyes with pupil block as a mechanism of AC. Close monitoring of glaucoma in these patients is suggested.

The Aging Lens and Glaucoma in persons over 50: Why early cataract surgery/refractive lensectomy and microinvasive trabecular bypass can prevent blindness and cure elevated eye pressure

Currently, IOP reduction is the only way we can help reduce or even stop glaucoma progression. Due to higher rates of blindness in vulnerable poorer groups with decreased access to expensive medications, safer, uncomplicated cataract extraction/refractive lensectomy and microinvasive trabecular bypass surgery should be considered earlier. We need more studies with randomized controlled clinical trials comparing earlier cataract surgery and trabecular bypass to medical, and laser therapies in order to reassess our algorithm for treating enlarged lens-related glaucoma in adults over the age of 50.