Recent developments in medical therapy of POAG with beta blocking agents

Since 1987, an entirely computerized open study has been developed in Pr Sole's Ophthalmology Department: the CLERTORE project (Clermont-Tonus-Research). It is a data bank including all the ophthalmic data of hypertensive patients, whether treated or untreated. Every six months, the patients included in the CLERTORE project undergo a clinical ophthalmic examination as well as an automated visual field examination (OCTOPUS 500), an examination of the optic disc (ONHA) and fluorophotometry (FLUOROTRON MASTER). To date, 92 patients have been included in the project. One hundred and eighty-three eyes are examined every six months with a maximal follow-up of 42 months. Because of the numerous criteria of the data base, it is too early to give any statistical results. With a close look at the evolution of the examinations of some of our cases, this preliminary work however allows us to make the three following remarks: In the hypertensive patients, a modification of the papillary pallor is observed without any change in the visual field, C/D ratio and fluorophotometry. The pallor is clearly modified when adrenaline eye drops are given to glaucomatous patients. There is a break of the iridic blood barrier in some hypertensive patients, whether treated or untreated.