National panel: OHTS affects when optometrists treat glaucoma.(News Review)(Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study)

Three out of four panelists say that the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) has affected the way they manage glaucoma patients.

Says optometrist Michael Lamb of Mesa, Ariz.: "We now routinely perform ultrasound pachymetry on all glaucoma suspects and ocular hypertensives." Likewise, three in 10 optometrists now perform baseline pachymetry on new glaucoma patients. Many say they have since ordered (or are about to order) a pachymeter.

In light of the OHTS study, "I treat patients with a family history and thinner corneas earlier than I would have before," says optometrist Randolph Brooks, of Ledgewood, N.J.

These are some of the findings from …