The European glaucoma prevention study design and baseline description of the participants

Objectives The European Glaucoma Prevention Study seeks to evaluate the efficacy of reducing intraocular pressure (IOP), with dorzolamide to prevent or delay patients affected by ocular hypertension from developing primary open-angle glaucoma. Design Randomized, double-blinded, controlled clinical trial. Participants Patients (age > or =30 years) were enrolled from 18 European centers. The patients fulfilled a series of inclusion criteria including the measurements of IOP (22-29 mmHg), two normal and reliable visual fields (VFs) (on the basis of mean defect and corrected pattern standard deviation/corrected loss of variance of standard 30/II Humphrey or Octopus perimetry), and normal optic disc as determined by the Optic Disc Reading Center (vertical and horizontal cup-to-disc ratios; asymmetry between the two eyes Intervention Patients were randomized to the treatment with dorzolamide or a placebo. Main outcome measures End points are VF and/or optic disc changes. A VF change during the follow-up must be confirmed by two further positive tests. Optic disc change is defined by the agreement of two out of three independent observers evaluating optic disc stereo-slides. Results One thousand seventy-seven subjects were randomized between January 1, 1997 and May 31, 1999. The mean age was 57.03 +/- 10.3 years; 54.41% were women and 99.9% were Caucasian. Mean IOP was 23.6 +/- 1.6 mmHg in both eyes. Mean visual acuity was 0.97 +/- 0.11 in both eyes; mean refraction was 0.23 +/- 1.76 diopters in the right eye and 0.18 +/- 1.79 diopters in the left eye. Previous use of medication for ocular hypertension was reported by 38.4% of the patients, systemic hypertension by 28.1%, cardiovascular diseases by 12.9%, and diabetes mellitus by 4.7%. The qualifying VFs were normal and reliable according to protocol criteria. Conclusions The mean IOP of the patients enrolled in the European Glaucoma Prevention Study is consistent with the estimated mean IOP (within the range of 22-29 mmHg) found in a large sample of the European population. The European Glaucoma Prevention Study should be able to better address the clinical question of whether pharmacological reduction of IOP (by means of dorzolamide) in ocular hypertension patients at moderate risk for developing primary open-angle glaucoma effectively lowers the incidence of primary open-angle glaucoma.