ABSTRACT.Purpose: To evaluate the feelings and experiences of patients living with glaucoma. Methods: A questionnaire was delivered to patients willing to take part, at a regular visit to their ophthalmologist, for filling in anonymously at home. A total of 589 questionnaires were returned. Results: More than 80% reported negative emotions on learning that they had glaucoma, one-third were afraid of going blind. Half the patients had no visual problem at all, 14% complained of poor or very poor vision. This proportion increased with age. One-fourth of the patients on topical medication experienced adverse effects of moderate or high degree. About half the patients being treated with laser or surgery felt their situation had improved afterwards. Nine-tenths of the individuals were satisfied with the information and care given, although their knowledge about glaucoma was rather incomplete. One-fifth missed information, mainly on causes, treatment and prognosis of the disease. The younger patients were more anxious and inquiring, reported more side effects and were less satisfied than the older patients. The women were in general more dissatisfied than the men. Conclusion: Giving a patient a diagnosis of glaucoma influences his quality of life negatively. Only half of our patients experienced any visual difficulties, whereas one-fourth reported adverse reactions due to the therapy. Most of the patients were very satisfied with the information and care given. Ophthalmologists in private practice are quite central in the management and care of the glaucoma patients in a medical setting like ours.

Travoprost 0.004% reduced diurnal mean intraocular pressure significantly more than timolol 0.5%. Both concentrations of travoprost were well tolerated and safe for use in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To elucidate the relationship between the visual difficulties reported by patients treated for glaucoma and their objective functional damage, and to evaluate the reliability of the patient responses. Methods: Questionnaires concerning quality of life filled in at home by 589 patients treated for chronic open angle glaucoma were correlated to corresponding questionnaires returned from their ophthalmologists. Results: Few of our patients had a visual field damage judged to be of functional significance. There was a weak to moderate association between both visual field defects and decreased visual acuity and self-reported visual difficulties. A high proportion of the patients had normal binocular visual field and a stable disease, raising the suspicion that some of them were treated for ocular hypertension. The agreement between the responses from the patients and the ophthalmologists concerning the topical treatment was good, regarding treatment duration and other diseases of the patients the agreement was moderate. Conclusion:The association between subjective visual disability and presence of visual field defects was weak to moderate in our patients treated for glaucoma, and this association was further weakened by adjusting for visual acuity. Some patients might be treated unnecessarily, and a favourable prognosis might be given to most of them. The reliability of the patients in general was good.Key words: glaucoma -quality of life -visual field defect -visual acuity -questionnaire -reliability.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of circumferential trabeculotomy (CT) in the treatment of primary congenital glaucoma (PCG). Methods: Retrospective, single-institutional case series of CT performed for PCG in years 1997-2016. The surgery could be completed in 42 out of 65 eyes (65%) intended for CT, and 39 of them were included in the study. A follow-up examination was performed in 2017. Success was defined as intraocular pressure ≤ 16 mmHg without (complete) or with (qualified) glaucoma medication. Results: Complete success was obtained in 33/39 eyes (85%), qualified success in 34/39 eyes (87%). Of the 39 eyes with CT, 4 eyes (10%) needed additional surgery. Median follow-up time was 120 months (range, 19-245 months). Median pre-and postoperative IOP were 26.0 mmHg (range, 10-41 mmHg) and 11.0 mmHg (range, 8-19 mmHg), respectively (p < 0.001). Cup-disc ratio was ≥0.5 in 82% at baseline, at follow-up in 9%. The median distance corrected visual acuity at follow-up was logMAR 0.06 (range, À0.2 to 1.1). Median number of glaucoma medication at follow-up was 0 (range, 0-2), at baseline 1.0 (range, 0-2). No serious complications were noted. Conclusion: Circumferential trabeculotomy is an efficacious, safe and medication saving surgical treatment for PCG in the long term. After a median followup of 10 years (120 months), the morphological status of the optic nerve was either normalized or stabilized, and the visual acuity overall well preserved.

Vår gode venn Karl Steensland døde i Kalmar i Sverige 24. juni. To uker før feiret vi hans 60årsdag i Oslo sammen med hans kjaereste Marie, som har vaert til uvurderlig støtte og glede for ham de siste to årene. Vi møttes på medisinstudiet i Oslo i 1980. Karl var lett å bli kjent med og morsom å vaere sammen med: sosial og debattglad og tidvis provoserende som han var. Vi dannet matklubben Gastritt, som ble rammen rundt vår naere vennskap, med matlaging, ivrige diskusjoner, glede rundt gamle og nye anekdoter og jubileumsturer til Europas beste vindistrikter, alltid innlagt et måltid på en trestjerners Michelin-restaurant.