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The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between gender and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) among African Americans and to assess demographic, systemic, and behavioral factors that may contribute to differences between genders. The Primary Open-Angle African American Glaucoma Genetics (POAAGG) study had a case-control design and included African Americans 35 years and older, recruited from the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Diagnosis of POAG was based on evidence of both glaucomatous optic nerve damage and characteristic visual field loss. Demographic and behavioral information, history of systemic diseases and anthropometric measurements were obtained at study enrollment. Gender differences in risk of POAG were examined using multivariate logistic regression. A total of 2,290 POAG cases and 2,538 controls were included in the study. The percentage of men among cases was higher than among controls (38.6% vs 30.3%, P<0.001). The subjects’ mean age at enrollment was significantly higher for cases compared to controls (70.2±11.3 vs. 61.6±11.8 years, P<0.003). Cases had lower rates of diabetes (40% vs. 46%, P<0.001), higher rates of systemic hypertension (80% vs. 72%, P<0.001), and lower body mass index (BMI) (29.7±6.7 vs. 31.9±7.4, P<0.001) than controls. In the final multivariable model, male gender was significantly associated with POAG risk (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.44–1.87; P<0.001), after adjusting for age, systemic hypertension, diabetes, and BMI. Within the POAAGG study, men were at higher risk of having POAG than women. Pending genetic results from this study will be used to better understand the underlying genetic variations that may account for these differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the clinical and visual outcomes of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated uveitis in adults and to examine risk factors for ongoing inflammation in adulthood. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for patients with JIA-associated uveitis who were >16 years old at the final visit (the last visit prior to data collection). Results: In total, 135 eyes of 77 patients (70 female, 7 male) were included. The mean age of patients at the final visit was 29.72 ± 11.27 years. The number of eyes with visual acuity of ≤20/50 and ≤20/200 at the final visit was 37 (28 %) and 20 (15 %), respectively; at least one ocular complication was present in 72 % of eyes. Band keratopathy was the most frequent complication (42 %), followed by cataract (25 %), posterior synechiae (22 %), maculopathy (22 %), ocular hypertension (13 %), and hypotony (5 %). At the final visit, patients who were >16 years of age at presentation to the Massachusetts Eye Research and Surgery Institution had more ocular complications and a greater degree of vision loss than patients who were ≤16 years of age. Ongoing inflammation at the final visit was noted in 40 patients (52 %). The presence of posterior synechiae, hypotony, cataract at presentation, and a history of cataract surgery prior to presentation were predictive of ongoing inflammation in adulthood in univariate analysis. The presence of hypotony and posterior synechiae at the initial visit were predictive factors in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: JIA-associated uveitis may be associated with ongoing inflammation, ocular complications, and severe visual impairment in adulthood. The presence of posterior synechiae and hypotony at the initial visit is predictive of ongoing inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To characterize the rate and pattern of age-related and glaucomatous neuroretinal rim area changes in subjects of African and European descent. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Participants Two hundred ninety-six eyes of 157 healthy subjects (88 patients of African descent and 69 of European descent) and 73 progressing glaucoma eyes of 67 subjects (24 patients of African descent and 43 of European descent) from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study and the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study were included. Methods Global and sectoral rim areas were measured using confocal laser scanning ophthalmoscopy. Masked stereophotograph review determined progression of glaucomatous optic disc damage. The rates of absolute rim area loss and percentage rim area loss in healthy and progressing glaucomatous eyes were compared using multivariate, nested, mixed-effects models. Main Outcome Measures Rate of rim area loss over time. Results The median follow-up time was 5.0 years (interquartile range, 2.0–7.4 years) for healthy eyes and 8.3 years (interquartile range, 7.5–9.9 years) for progressing glaucoma eyes. The mean rate of global rim area loss was significantly faster in progressing glaucomatous eyes compared with healthy eyes for both rim area loss (−10.2×10 −3 vs. −2.8×10 −3 mm 2 /year, respectively; P < 0.001) and percentage rim area loss (−1.1% vs. −0.2%/year, respectively; P < 0.001), but considerable overlap existed between the 2 groups. Sixty-three percent of progressing glaucoma eyes had a rate of change faster than the fifth quantile of healthy eyes. For both healthy and progressing eyes, the pattern of rim area loss and percentage rim area loss were similar, tending to be fastest in the superior temporal and inferior temporal sectors. The rate of change was similar in progressing eyes of patients of African or European descent. Conclusions Compared with healthy eyes, the mean rate of global rim area loss was 3.7 times faster and the mean rate of global percentage rim area loss was 5.4 times faster in progressing glaucoma eyes. A reference database of healthy eyes can be used to help clinicians distinguish age-related rim area loss from rim area loss resulting from glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]