Terminology and Guidelines for Glaucoma, 5th Edition

Terminology and Guidelines for Glaucoma, 5th Edition - European Glaucoma Society

The aim of these Guidelines is to support ophthalmologists in managing people with, or at risk of, glaucoma, and to provide useful information to trainees. For this 5th edition, we initiated the process to update the Guidelines by identifying key questions on diagnosis, monitoring and treatment that were then prioritised by a group of experts. To answer these key questions, we identified and assessed currently available evidence. Evidence was gathered in 2019 in collaboration with the USA-Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group by conducting an overview of systematic reviews on glaucoma interventions and diagnostic technologies (see I.3). Differing from previous editions, a grading system for rating the quality of evidence and strength of recommendation, following grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluations (GRADE), has been used only for answering our key questions. The rest of recommendations and suggestions throughout the text are consensus based among experts.

In this 5th edition we chose to provide only references of high-quality systematic reviews, landmark glaucoma trials and population-based studies. This is because we recognise that the process of selecting references to include in guidelines can be biased, and most publications do not provide direct information for clinical decision making and there is a risk of misinterpretation of information by non-experienced readers.

Patients’ care and wellbeing are at the core of our values and we collaborated with the Glaucoma UK charity which has helped us to confirm the most important questions that ophthalmologists should ask patients with glaucoma, and to identify what are their most common concerns.

The Guidelines should be considered as a guidance rather than strict decision-making protocols.

Decision making ultimately should be individualised to patients’ needs and circumstances, ideally guided by best available evidence.

The European Glaucoma Society (EGS) and all contributors disclaim responsibility and all liability for any adverse medical or legal effects resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any of the definitions, diagnostic techniques or treatments described in the Guidelines. The EGS does not endorse any product, procedure, company or organisation.


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