Glaucoma Diagnosis in Asia

The problem of glaucoma in Asia continues to be different from that of other populations that are well described, for instance in Europe and the USA. The problems of glaucoma in Asia are of diagnostic and disease pattern differences. This issue of Asian Journal of Ophthalmology includes an article clearly showing the problems of optic nerve head changes and difficulties in diagnosis of the disease from the perspective of a European neuro-ophthalmologist working in the Asian environment. With increasing differences in the types of glaucoma seen in Asia, the normal tension aspect of the disease is becoming more significant with increasing life expectancies.

We are finding that normal tension disease may not be a single entity but is probably a group of entities clinically recognised as normal tension glaucoma. With time and with further research, no doubt we will see the diagnosis of normal tension glaucoma improving and separating into various groups that can be diagnosed by molecular and cellular techniques. The management of this disease, however, will remain difficult and intensive investigation will be required we will have to address the severity of visual loss and how sight threatening this disease is in individual populations in Asia. More data is certainly needed in terms of the incidence as well as the natural history and mobility of normal tension glaucoma for us to better understand this disease and muster public health resources for the management and future study of glaucoma.

Paul Chew
Editor-in-Chief

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