Clinical Briefings™: Assessing and Managing Ocular Health in Glaucoma

Release Date: January 29, 2020
Expiration Date: January 29, 2021
Media: Internet - based

Activity Overview

As a leading cause of blindness, glaucoma requires critical diagnostic and treatment skills among ophthalmologists and other eye care professionals. Topical agents with a variety of mechanisms of action are available for lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), as are procedures, and choosing the appropriate option for each patient can be challenging. Emerging data on potential harms from the topical preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK) can make treatment selection more complex for some patients. This program provides an overview of the glaucoma treatment landscape, including IOP target goals; surgical and medical options, including preservative-free choices; and emerging therapies. Accompanying audio from a glaucoma expert provides additional detail and clinical perspective.

Benefits of Participating

This activity will better prepare you to:

• Weigh factors in setting treatment goals for patients with glaucoma
• Compare and contrast the benefits and risks of currently available glaucoma treatments, including preservative-free topical medications
• Track the development of emerging glaucoma therapies

Acknowledgement of Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant from Allergan.

Target Audience

This online educational activity is directed toward ophthalmologists and other healthcare professionals who are involved in glaucoma and ocular health.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this educational activity, you should be better prepared to:

• Characterize current intraocular agents used to treat glaucoma according to efficacy, safety, and preservative content
• Describe the common effects of long-term BAK on the conjunctiva, cornea, lens, and trabecular meshwork
• Evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternative preservatives and preservative-free formulations for the management of intraocular pressure

Faculty, Staff, and Planners’ Disclosures

Faculty

Oluwatosin U. Smith, MD
Attending Physician
Glaucoma Associates of Texas
Dallas, TX

Disclosures: Grant/Research Support: Allergan, Santen, American Glaucoma Society; Consultant Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Allergan, Gore, Index, New World Medical, Glaukos Corporation; Speaker’s Bureau: Allergan, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Bausch & Lomb.

The staff of Physicians' Education Resource^®, LLC (PER^®) have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Disclosure Policy and Resolution of Conflicts of Interest (COI)

As a sponsor accredited by the ACCME, it is the policy of PER^® to ensure fair balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its CME activities. In compliance with ACCME guidelines, PER^® requires everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CME activity to disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. The ACCME defines “relevant financial relationships” as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that creates a COI.

Additionally, PER^® is required by ACCME to resolve all COI. PER^® has identified and resolved all COI prior to the start of this activity by using a multistep process

Off-Label Disclosure and Disclaimer

This CME activity may or may not discuss investigational, unapproved, or off-label use of drugs. Participants are advised to consult prescribing information for any products discussed. The information provided in this CME activity is for continuing medical education purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the independent clinical judgment of a physician relative to diagnostic or treatment options for a specific patient’s medical condition.

The opinions expressed in the content are solely those of the individual faculty members and do not reflect those of PER^® or the company that provided commercial support.