Abstract
PURPOSE: Regulation of ocular blood flow might be impaired in glaucoma patients.
We compared the reaction of retinal vessels to a short-term increase of
intraocular pressure (IOP), using a retinal vessel analyzer (RVA), in normal
volunteers, ocular hypertensive patients (OH) and primary open angle glaucoma
patients (POAG). METHODS: Ten healthy subjects (56+/-8 years, IOP 13.7+/-1.6
mmHg), 10 OH patients (55+/-12 years, IOD 23.4+/-4.1 mmHg) and 11 POAG patients
(60+/-11 years, IOP 23.3+/-1.95 mmHg) were evaluated. Arterial and venous retinal
vessel diameter was measured continuously before, during and after raising IOP to
suprasystolic values by the suction cup method, described as ocular
oscillo-dynamography. RESULTS: The change in vessel diameter after the IOP rise
differed in its temporal sequence and in absolute values depending on the group
examined. In the retinal branch veins the reduction of vessel diameter during the
IOP rise was significantly different in POAG (0\%+/-6.7) and volunteers
(-6.7\%+/-8.5; p = 0.06) and in POAG and OH (-6.7\%+/-7.0; p = 0.04). At 70-130 sec
after IOP increase a dilatation occurred, again differing significantly in POAG
(+5.8\%+/-3.9) and volunteers (+9.7\%+/-4.3; p = 0.03). Systemic blood pressure did
not show any significant differences between groups or during the course of the
examination. DISCUSSION: At short-term rise in IOP leads to less retinal vessel
reaction in POAG patients than in volunteers and OH. This might be due to
impaired autoregulation to ocular perfusion changes in POAG patients.
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