Glaucoma from the perspective of a veterinary ophthalmologist with Sara M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO

Sarah M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, is a veterinary ophthalmologist at UC Davis. In her conversation with Ophthalmology Times at the Glaucoma 3g0 meeting in San Francisco, she discussed the importance of recognizing that glaucoma affects not only humans, but also companion animals like dogs, cats, and horses.

She emphasized that dogs are excellent models for angle closure glaucoma, and that new non-human primate models, such as the steroid-induced ocular hypertension model and an autosomal dominant optic atrophy model, could help speed the development of neuroprotective therapies.

Thomasy expressed her excitement about the insights she gained from the meeting. She shared an example of a problem she had been puzzled by in horses, which after learning about the effects of suprachoroidal drug delivery, she felt better able to understand what might be happening in this particular study. This, she believed, demonstrated the valuable opportunities for collaboration between veterinary and physician ophthalmologists.

She also highlighted UC Davis as a leader in fostering such collaborations. She noted that their residents present at the medical school's grand rounds, and they work together on microsurgical training as well as research using non-human primate and dog models. Thomasy emphasized the importance of this "One Health" approach in understanding the best animal models for studying human glaucoma. She also explained the board certification process for veterinary ophthalmologists through the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO), through which here are now over 400 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists, who can provide valuable expertise to physician ophthalmologists and glaucoma researchers as they work toward better treatments and develop new methods of care.