The ties that blind: Researchers link neckwear to glaucoma

WASHINGTON -- Necktie haters got a boost from science this week as researchers branded that essential part of proper male business attire a risk factor for a major cause of blindness.

They also reported that a tight necktie can tie knots in the diagnosis of glaucoma, making it seem as if people have the disease when they really don't.

"Glaucoma remains the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States and is the second-leading cause of blindness," said Dr. Robert Ritch, a New York Eye and Ear Infirmary ophthalmologist. He headed the study being published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases caused by increased pressure of fluid naturally present inside the eyeball. Pressure rises when the fluid does not drain out of the eye normally. The pressure squeezes and damages the optic nerve, which carries visual signals from the eye to the brain.

Most people have no pain or other early symptoms. When finally diagnosed, they often have permanently lost some sight. Glaucoma can be diagnosed with a simple test that is part of most routine eye check-ups.

An estimated 4.2 million people age 40 and over have the most common form of glaucoma, and about 50 percent don't know it. Another 3 million to 6 million have elevated intraocular pressure, or IOP, which has not yet caused the actual nerve damage in glaucoma.

"Our paper demonstrates that a tight necktie could increase IOP, which remains the most important known risk factor for the development and progression of glaucoma," Ritch said.

"Wearing a tight necktie during a routine examination could lead to an erroneous diagnosis of ocular hypertension or even glaucoma because the constriction would be causing an increase in IOP."

Neckties constrict the jugular veins, which run through the neck. Fluid from the eyes drains into the veins, and squeezing them blocks the flow and raises the pressure.

Wanted: Pharmacy profs

WASHINGTON -- Not only is there a shortage of pharmacists, there's also a big problem in getting qualified professors to teach in pharmacy schools, says a survey released yesterday.

The survey, done last winter by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, found that nearly 10 percent of faculty positions were vacant. Most were vacancies for full-time professors who would teach pharmacy practice or science.

"This brain drain of quality people to teach the next generation of pharmacists represents a serious public health threat in the face of the rapidly growing consumer demand for prescription drugs," said Lucinda Maine, executive vice president of the association.

Retail pharmacies alone are expected to fill 4 billion prescriptions annually by 2006, up from 3 billion in 2001. A January survey by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores found 5,500 pharmacist vacancies in that sector alone.

At the time the faculty survey was taken in December, there were 84 accredited pharmacy schools (four have since been added). The 67 schools that responded reported a total of 417 vacant teaching posts.