Medical and surgical treatment management in open angle glaucoma patients of Asian descent: A narrative review

Abstract

Glaucoma represents a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by optic nerve head damage, retinal nerve fiber layer thinning and visual field loss. There are significant disparities in the diagnosis, disease progression and treatment outcomes of glaucoma patients. Primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) patients of African descent have been found to have earlier and more severe disease than those of European descent. In 2020, half of the worldwide glaucoma patient population resided in Asia, where normal-tension and angle-closure glaucoma are more prevalent. The significant prevalence and diversity of OAG in Asia necessitates a better understanding of medical, laser, and surgical management in this growing population. PubMed and Embase database searches were conducted for all pertinent articles and abstracts published between January 1990 through January 2024 and review of the literature yielded 1,237 potential articles, from which 104 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The current literature suggests that prostaglandin analogues are efficacious and safe in OAG Asian patients, however little is known on other classes of hypotensive drugs. Published data on the laser and surgical management of glaucoma in Asian populations describe differences in outcomes between Asian and Caucasian populations including from minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Longitudinal studies specifically designed to investigate treatment impact while accounting for access to care in the increasing global aging Asian population are warranted.