Potential benefit of intraocular pressure reduction in normal-tension glaucoma in South Korea

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential benefit of intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) Asian adult patients in South Korea.

This was a retrospective, multicenter analysis of 166 NTG Asian adult patients in South Korea. The patient population consisted of Korean patients with NTG with at least 5 years of records available for evaluation. Patients all had typical glaucomatous optic-disc and/or visual-field changes but had never had a recorded IOP >21 mmHg.

Overall, 48 (29%) patients were progressed and 116 (71%) were stable over the follow-up period. Of patients with IOPs or=15 mmHg (27/73) 37% progressed (P = 0.041). The mean IOP for the stable group was 14.0 +/- 1.8 mmHg, whereas with the progressed group the average mean IOP was 14.4 +/- 1.6 mmHg (P = 0.20). The mean peak IOP was 17.4 +/- 2.2 mmHg in the stable group and 17.8 +/- 2.0 mmHg in the progressed group (P = 0.26). Multivariate linear regression analysis did not any identify independent risk factors for progression, including age, gender, or mean and peak IOP.

This study provides initial evidence that Korean patients with normal-tension glaucoma, treated to lower IOPs, may have a decreased incidence of progression over 5 years than those patients with higher IOPs. More research is required to confirm this finding.