Valeant Ophthalmics
Bridgewater, NJ – April 9, 2012 – Valeant Ophthalmics, a Division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, announced today that the Working Group on Preservatives Toxicity in Glaucoma Medications, an advisory panel of glaucoma treatment experts, discussed at its recent roundtable meeting the interface between ocular surface disease (OSD) and glaucoma. The Working Group noted that the potentially toxic effects of the preservatives used in many glaucoma medications are especially problematic for that patient group. The Working Group is sponsored by Valeant Ophthalmics.
Stephen Obstbaum, M.D., NYU Langone Medical Center noted that the interface between glaucoma and OSD begins with the demographics of the glaucoma patient population.
“We have an elderly population that already has a higher incidence of ocular surface disease,” Dr. Obstbaum pointed out. Stephen C. Pflugfelder, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine, first noticed the connection in patients referred to him with OSD who were on multiple glaucoma therapies.
“Doctors don’t recognize preservatives as a cause of OSD,” Dr. Pflugfelder reported. “Since glaucoma is the primary focus, they attribute the trouble to allergy.”
Robert Fechtner, M.D., Director, Glaucoma Division, Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, New Jersey Medical School – UMDNJ, noted that nearly half of glaucoma patients may have OSD. He summarized a clinical study in which nearly half of glaucoma patients had symptoms of OSD, including more than a quarter with moderate or severe OSD.1,2 The challenge, the Working Group members noted, was in educating eye care professionals to detect the problem by asking their patients the right questions.
“It can be as simple as, ‘What kind of issues are you having with your drops,’ as opposed to saying, ‘Are you doing fine with your drops?’” pointed out Gail Schwartz, M.D., Glaucoma Consultants, Baltimore; Assistant Professor, Wilmer Eye Institute. “It’s the open-ended seeking question that will both address the adherence issues, the potential reasons for problems with adherence and then how we address their issues with ocular surface disease in combination with their glaucoma issues.”
About the Working Group on Preservatives Toxicity
The roundtable of the Working Group on Preservatives Toxicity in Glaucoma Medications was convened by Ethis Communications, Inc., publisher of The Ocular Surface, and Valeant Ophthalmics, a Division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America, LLC. Working Group members were compensated for their time in compliance with government and industry guidelines. The Working Group was chaired by Stephen Obstbaum, M.D., NYU Langone Medical Center. Members attending the roundtable were:
- Christophe Baudouin, M.D., ,Ph.D., Quinze-Vingts National Hospital, University of Paris
- Paul Kaufman, M.D., University of Wisconsin
- Stephen C. Pflugfelder, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine
- Robert J. Noecker, M.D., Ophthalmic Consultants of Connecticut
- Robert Fechtner, M.D., Director, Glaucoma Division, Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, New Jersey Medical School – UMDNJ
- Gail Schwartz, M.D., Glaucoma Consultants, Baltimore; Assistant Professor, Wilmer Eye Institute
1. N. JAENEN, C. BAUDOUIN, P. POULIQUEN, G. MANNI, A. FIGUEIREDO, T. ZEYEN. Ocular symptoms and signs with preserved and preservative-free glaucoma medications. European Journal of Ophthalmology / Vol. 17 no. 3, 2007 / pp. 341-349.
2. Fechtner et al, Prevalence of Ocular Surface Complaints in Patients With Glaucoma Using Topical Intraocular Pressure–Lowering Medications, Cornea, Volume 29, Number 6, June 2010.