Early diagnosis of glaucoma: a window of opportunity for timely start of therapy | Ukrainian Medical Journal

The article analyzes modern approaches to optimizing the management of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension through the prism of the concept of real-world efficacy. The fundamental role of optical coherence tomography in the verification of preperimetric glaucoma is highlighted, which opens a therapeutic «window of opportunity» for preventive reduction of intraocular pressure before the appearance of irreversible visual field defects. It is substantiated that the main limiting factor for successful treatment is low patient compliance caused by the toxic effect of the preservative benzalkonium chloride on the ocular surface. The pharmacological advantages of the tafluprost molecule, which, due to its ultra-high affinity for prostanoid FP receptors, provides a powerful hypotensive effect at a minimum concentration (0.0015%), are considered. It has been proven that the use of the original preservative-free drug Taflotan® Multi (both at the stage of initial monotherapy and within the switch strategy) allows to eliminate iatrogenic damage to the epithelium, stabilize the tear film and improve local tolerability, ensuring a high long-term level of patient retention in treatment (up to 92.5%) and preserving their quality of life.

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