advertisement
Editorial IGR 1-2
Dear Reader,
First of all, many thanks to all those who sent us their favorable and helpful comments on the first issue. It does help.
This second issue of International Glaucoma Review is again witness to the tremendous scientific energy that is being pumped into glaucoma research. The last four months covered some 391 abstracts, including major reviews and editorials, and meetings on the subject throughout the world. Experts jet-lagging to spread the gospel; getting over their jet lag by vigorous exercise, thereby reducing their IOP 'en passant'. The avid reader who may not be jetting around as much will find a host of information in this issue.
Three more societies have now joined us: the Pan-American Glaucoma Society, the Chinese Glaucoma Society, and the Pan Arab African Glaucoma Society. Welcome to all three. We are awaiting further information from the Canadian, Korean and the Israeli Glaucoma Societies. If we have missed anyone out, please let us know.
The reader will find announcements about several forthcoming meetings: AGS, ANZGS, EGS. At the time of writing this Introduction, the second meeting of the AOGS will just have taken place in Tokyo, Japan, the AAO will be having its fair share of glaucoma, and a major millennium meeting is being organized in December in Hong Kong, sponsored by P&U.
Non-perforating filtering surgery (NPFS) continued to create discussions, the conclusions of which vary according to the environment, from unrestricted enthusiasm to guarded scepticism. Some of the pros and cons of NPFS can be found in a report in this issue, under the Shakespearean title of, "To penetrate or not to penetrate, that is the question" (with a comment by Epstein), as well as in the reports of the closed meeting of the EGS.
In June 1999, the SOE, Stockholm, Sweden, had several symposia on glaucoma, some of which are summarized in this issue by the respective chairman: Airaksinen, Alm, Heijl, Jonas, Obstbaum. The summary by Osborne is part of a larger abstract on the subject of cell death and neuroprotection. As suggested in the Editor's Selection, neuroprotection may be part of our pressure-independent therapeutic armamentarium in the 21st century. Some agreement is still needed as to what to include in the definition of neuroprotection. The first studies on the effects of neuroprotective agents are under way.
The EGS held a so-called 'closed meeting' in Würzburg, Germany, in September 1999, and this issue includes a report by Burk, followed by a comment from Hitchings.
The reader's attention is directed to a series of reviews in Current Opinion in Ophthalmology 10:82-153, 1999. These reviews cover a wide field of glaucoma including genetics, visual function, risk factors, the role of medical therapy, neuroprotection, laser treatment and implant surgery.
An interesting discussion was included in the correspondence section of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Two letters commented on work of the Collaborative Normal Tension Glaucoma Study Group, which showed that at least part of 'NTG' is pressure sensitive. Important matters such as study design and validity of conclusions are also considered.
The Editor's Selection is by Bruce Shields. In an enlightened way, it covers work in the field of glaucoma research published in the months of May to August, 1999, e.g., concepts of glaucoma, pathogenesis, pharmacology, neuroprotection, and surgical news. The Editor offers his experienced view on the advancements in glaucoma during the 20th century and puts forward some predictions for the 21st century.
>E.L. Greve
