Photo Credit: RossHelen

The following is a summary of “Negative Pressure Application by the Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump to Lower IOP in Normal-Tension Glaucoma: Hercules Study,” published in the March 2025 issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology by Ferguson et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the safety and IOP-lowering efficacy of the Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump in individuals with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG).  

They assessed individuals with NTG and an IOP between 12 mmHg and 21 mmHg were enrolled, 1 eye underwent negative pressure application, while the fellow eye served as a control. Participants wore the device overnight for 1 year, with negative pressure programmed by subtracting 6 mmHg from baseline IOP. The primary endpoint was the proportion of eyes achieving a ≥20% daytime IOP reduction at Week 52. The secondary endpoint assessed the proportion of eyes with a ≥20% nocturnal IOP reduction at Week 52. Exploratory endpoints included mean IOP reduction in the clinic and sleep lab settings.  

The results showed that 186 eyes were randomized across 11 sites, with 120 eyes completing all visits over 52 weeks without protocol deviations. At Week 52, 88.3% (n=53) of study eyes met the primary endpoint, compared to 1.7% (n=1) of control eyes. For the secondary endpoint, 96.7% (n=58) of study eyes and 5.0% (n=3) of control eyes achieved the target. The exploratory IOP analysis showed a mean nocturnal IOP reduction of 8.0 mmHg (39.1%) from a baseline of 20.4 ± 2.5 mmHg to 12.4 ± 2.7 mmHg at Week 52 with no serious adverse events (AEs). The most common AEs were lid issues (11.8% study, 1.1% control) and periorbital edema (12.9% study, 1.1% control).  

Investigators concluded that the Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump safely and effectively lowered both daytime and nocturnal IOP in patients with NTG. 

Source: ajo.com/article/S0002-9394(25)00141-2/abstract