title: Comparison of clinical characteristics and progression rates of bilaterally and unilaterally progressing glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinical characteristics of unilaterally progressing glaucoma (UPG) and simultaneously bilaterally progressing glaucoma (BPG) in medically treated cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary open angle glaucoma patients were classified as having UPG or BPG according to an assessment of optic disc and retinal nerve fiber layer photographs and visual field analysis. Risk factors including the presence of systemic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular accident, migraine, and dyslipidema) were compared between the UPG and BPG groups. Baseline characteristics and pre- and post-treatment intraocular pressure (IOP) were compared between the progressing eye (PE) and the non-progressing eye (NPE) within the same patient in the UPG group and between the faster progressing eye and the slower progressing eye in the BPG group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 343 patients (average follow-up period of 4.2 years), 43 were categorized into the UPG group and 31 into the BPG group. The prevalence of all analyzed systemic diseases did not differ between the two groups. PEs in the UPG group had more severe pathology in terms of baseline visual field parameters than NPEs (mean deviation -6.9 ± 5.7 vs. -2.9 ± 3.9 dB, respectively; p < 0.001). However, baseline IOP, mean follow-up IOP, and other clinical characteristics were not significantly different between the PE and the NPE in the UPG group. The progression rate was significantly higher in the faster progressing eye in patients with BPG than in the PE for patients with UPG (-3.43 ± 3.27 vs. -0.70 ± 1.26 dB/yr, respectively; p = 0.014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no significant differences in the prevalence of systemic diseases between the UPG and BPG groups. Simultaneously bilaterally progressing patients showed much faster progression rates than those with a unilaterally progressing eye.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Daun
authors: D
authors: Jeong
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Kyung Rim
authors: KR
authors: Sung
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Jung Hwa
authors: JH
authors: Na
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Bilateral; Disease progression; Glaucoma; Unilateral; Visual fields
references: Ophthalmology. 2000 Sep;107(9):1688-92
references: 10964831
references: Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. 2007 Nov;35(8):739-44
references: 17997778
references: Ophthalmology. 2001 Jun;108(6):1015-22
references: 11382622
references: Am J Ophthalmol. 2001 Jun;131(6):699-708
references: 11384564
references: Arch Ophthalmol. 2002 Jun;120(6):701-13; discussion 829-30
references: 12049574
references: Ophthalmology. 2003 Jan;110(1):211-7
references: 12511368
references: Acta Ophthalmol Scand. 2003 Jun;81(3):286-93
references: 12780410
references: Ophthalmology. 2004 Sep;111(9):1641-8
references: 15350316
references: Arch Ophthalmol. 1976 Aug;94(8):1274-6
references: 949266
references: Br J Ophthalmol. 1978 May;62(5):327-9
references: 656359
references: Arch Ophthalmol. 1988 Jul;106(7):898-900
references: 3390051
references: Ophthalmology. 1989 Sep;96(9):1312-4
references: 2779999
references: Arch Ophthalmol. 1991 Aug;109(8):1090-5
references: 1867550
references: Ophthalmology. 1998 Feb;105(2):209-15
references: 9479277
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008 Dec;49(12):5412-8
references: 18719086
references: Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2009 Mar;20(2):92-8
references: 19240541
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Mar;50(3):1215-20
references: 18836170
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Apr;50(4):1718-25
references: 19060263
references: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2009 Nov;50(11):5266-74
references: 19474398
references: Ophthalmology. 2009 Dec;116(12):2271-6
references: 19854514
references: Ophthalmology. 2011 Jun;118(6):1024-30
references: 21269703
references: J Glaucoma. 2012 Apr-May;21(4):275-6
references: 22466149
references: JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013 Apr;131(4):486-94
references: 23450425
references: Am J Ophthalmol. 1998 Oct;126(4):498-505
references: 9780094
references: Ophthalmology. 1999 Oct;106(10):2010-5
references: 10519600
references: Ophthalmology. 2006 Sep;113(9):1613-7
references: 16828504
references: Ophthalmology. 2007 Feb;114(2):216-20
references: 17123613
references: Ophthalmology. 2007 Mar;114(3):460-5
references: 17141318
references: Ophthalmology. 2007 Nov;114(11):1965-72
references: 17628686
references: Ophthalmology. 2001 Feb;108(2):247-53
references: 11158794