Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham
dicussed glaucoma
Event Date: May 27, 2003
Dr. Eve J. Higginbotham, professor and chair of the
Ophthalmology Department of the University of Maryland
School of Medicine, discussed glaucoma on May 27, 2003,
at a lecture co-sponsored by the Science, Technology &
Business Division and the Health Services Office.
The traditional air puff test and similar tests
that measure intraocular eye pressure are not adequate for the
diagnosis of glaucoma, according to Dr. Higginbotham.
Glaucoma is no longer recognized as simply high pressure within
the eye but is now defined as an optic neuropathy that may or may
not be associated with high pressure within the eye. The disease
is now characterized by visual field loss, signs of optic nerve
damage, or both.
The aging of the baby boomer population and the growing
diversity of the U.S. population make public awareness of glaucoma
increasingly important. People who are at the greatest risk of
developing glaucoma include those who have a family history of the
disease, the severely nearsighted, African Americans, Hispanics,
diabetics, and people over the age of 65.
Science and Technology Division