Page 59 - 21st Century Perspective - Glaucoma Supplement
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Figure 30. Best seen with pharmacologic dilation, this image shows the classic appearance of exfoliative material on the lenticular
face.
Where and how is this exfoliative material generated? It is thought to represent abnormal basement
membrane synthesis of the lens epithelium, ciliary body epithelium, iris pigment epithelium,
trabecular endothelial cells and possibly other sites.
Patients with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma tend to have higher IOPs than patients with primary
open-angle glaucoma, and as a result, their medical management tends to be more challenging.
Nonetheless, therapy of this subtype of glaucoma is quite similar to the management of primary
open-angle glaucoma.
In both pigment dispersion and exfoliative glaucoma, laser trabeculoplasty can be effective.
With an increasingly aging population, the need for eye care services related to glaucoma continues
to grow, and optometrists should be the primary caregiver for this predominately medically managed
eye disease.
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