June 14, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — New imaging tools that help detect changes in the progression of glaucoma are the centerpiece of UAB’s (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Optic Nerve and Retinal Imaging Center, housed at the Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital. The new equipment can detect subtle changes in the eyes of glaucoma patients as many as five years before standard diagnostic techniques, allowing ophthalmologists to move more quickly with aggressive treatment for the disease.

The standard test for glaucoma, both for original diagnosis and to measure the continued progression of the disease, is a measurement of a patient’s visual field. This measurement can be unreliable and insensitive to changes within the eye that indicate the disease is progressing, according to Dr. Christopher A. Girkin, assistant professor of ophthalmology at UAB and director of the Imaging Center. The new imaging equipment spots changes quickly and allows physicians to store the images in a database for future comparisons.

“This new equipment gives us an accurate look at what is happening within the eye of a glaucoma patient,” Girkin says. “Based on direct observation, physicians can tailor treatment to the severity of the disease and avoid unnecessary treatment.”

Glaucoma, which is a leading cause of blindness, is characterized by slow, progressive damage to the optic nerve, which carries visual information from the eye to the brain. As the disease progresses, certain telltale changes in the shape of the optic nerve indicate the severity of the disease.

The Imaging Center has three very sophisticated imaging devices. A stereophoto camera, a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope and an optical coherence tomography scanner take detailed images of the inside of the eye and optic nerve.

“The images are stored in a data base,” Girkin says. “Physicians can compare an image taken today to one taken weeks or months before. If the images indicate the disease is worsening, then advancing treatment may be initiated. Early treatment of glaucoma gives patients the best chance of retaining sight.”

The UAB Imaging Center, which opened in early 2000, is the only facility in the state with all three imaging machines, plus the required expertise to manage the information derived from them.

Nearly 3 million Americans have open-angle glaucoma, the most common form in the United States. While glaucoma cannot be cured, treatment can slow the progression of the disease and help preserve sight. Common treatments include medications and surgery, both laser and conventional.