Department News
Dr. Vajaranant awarded best paper of Glaucoma session at 2008 AAO annual meeting
At the recent 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and European Society of Ophthalmology, Thasarat S. Vajaranant, MD, won a Best Paper of Session Award for her submission on new techniques for corneal transplants for glaucoma patients.
“I felt honored to receive the award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology [AAO],” says Dr. Vajaranant, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Service and Director of the Residency Program. “I am grateful to our collaborators for their support. As a glaucoma specialist, I am privileged to work with world-class corneal specialists to improve the outcome of this fascinating corneal surgery.”
The AAO created the Best Paper of Session Award just last year. At the conclusion of each Papers session, the expert panel members confer and select one paper that they consider to be the best of the group. This year, about 16 papers made it to the finals of the two glaucoma sessions, which is roughly 5 percent of all abstract submissions, notes Vajaranant.
UIC’s Glaucoma and Cornea Services collaborated with Francis W. Price, MD, of the Price Vision Group, and Marianne O. Price, PhD, with the Cornea Research Foundation of America in Indiana (Dr. Francis Price founded and leads the Cornea Research Foundation of America) for its submission. The researchers studied 400 eyes to examine vision and intraocular pressure after Descemet-Stripling Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK), a newer technique for corneal transplants, and to determine if glaucoma had a negative effect on the visual outcome.
To date, this is the largest review of the changes in the intraocular pressure and visual outcome after DSEK in glaucoma patients. With this technique, only the back layer of the cornea is peeled off and replaced with a very thin layer of the donor tissue during corneal transplants. This new technique provides a better vision outcome and rapid recovery compared to the conventional technique.
“Glaucoma is known to be a risk factor for a poor outcome after corneal transplant,” says Vajaranant. “Not much is known about how this new cornea affects intraocular pressure measurement.”
Vajaranant’s group found a significant percentage of patients—with and without glaucoma—who had increased intraocular pressure after DSEK. In fact, about 10 percent of glaucoma patients needed glaucoma surgery during the first year after the corneal transplant.
“We recommended close monitoring of the eye pressure,” says Vajaranant. “Finally, we found that glaucoma did not appear to have a negative effect on visual outcome. This is encouraging since glaucoma patients are expected to do as well as patients with no glaucoma.”
Recognized internationally as a leader in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and other conditions affecting intraocular pressure (IOP), the Glaucoma Service offers a range of specialized tests and the latest technologies, including a high resolution ultrasound biomicroscope, a confocal laser microscope for optic nerve imaging, and neodymium yag and diode laser.
—by Megan Pellegrini