Mayo Clinic Talks An Update on Glaucoma
Sep 15, 2026
Dr. Cheryl L. Khanna, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist specializing in glaucoma, discusses this silent cause of vision loss. She explores open- versus angle-closure disease, normal-pressure glaucoma, medication risks, warning signs, and who needs earlier screening. The conversation also covers diagnosis, laser and drop treatments, adherence challenges, and promising research using artificial intelligence and new drug-delivery approaches.
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Glaucoma Is Not Only An Elderly Disease
- Glaucoma is common and permanently damages vision, but it affects younger patients too.
- Juvenile open-angle glaucoma can begin before 40, often involves MYOCILIN mutations, very high pressure, and early surgery.
Recognize Patients Who Need Earlier Screening
- Identify age, family history, steroid use, trauma, extreme refractive error, and ocular disease as glaucoma risks.
- Refer high-risk patients earlier for a baseline ophthalmologic examination; a parent or sibling can increase risk tenfold.
Common Medications Can Trigger Different Glaucoma Types
- Chronic steroids mainly raise open-angle glaucoma risk, while several drugs can precipitate angle closure.
- Topiramate, sulfa drugs, H2 blockers, SSRIs, and tricyclics may cause ciliary-body swelling and choroidal effusions.