April 15, 2005

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) ophthalmologist Christopher A. Girkin, M.D., will speak about glaucoma detection and treatment at a Capitol Hill luncheon briefing on Wednesday, April 20, in Washington.

Girkin, an investigator in the National Eye Institute (NEI)-sponsored African-Americans With Glaucoma Study, will discuss how the study builds on previous research on racial differences in the optic nerve and cornea by developing detection techniques that are more sensitive to these physiological differences and potential changes over time.

“The UAB study was selected as an example of what NEI-funded projects can accomplish,” said Girkin, associate professor and director of the glaucoma service in the UAB Department of Ophthalmology. “The study currently enrolls over 400 subjects and has identified preliminary changes in the shape of the optic nerve that may predispose people of African ancestry to the optic nerve damage seen in glaucoma. These findings may spur modifications to our current clinical methods to detect glaucoma in African-Americans.”

Earlier detection results in earlier diagnosis and treatment, often with pressure -reducing drops that can delay or prevent the onset of the disease, as shown in the NEI-sponsored Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study.

The briefing, entitled “Glaucoma Detection and Treatment: African Americans With Glaucoma Study,” is the second in a series sponsored by the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) devoted to educating Congress about vision health disparities research being conducted by the NEI, part of the National Institutes of Health.