title: Differences in optic discs in low-tension glaucoma patients with relatively low or high pressures.
abstract: We evaluated the differences in the optic nerve head in patients with chronic open-angle glaucoma (HTG) and those with low-tension glaucoma with either relatively high (between 16 and 21 mmHg [LTGH]) or low (< or = 15 mmHg [LTGL]) intraocular pressures. We included 36 patients in this study. We found that LTGL patients had a significantly greater mean area of peripapillary atrophy inferior to the optic disc (0.65 +/- 0.38 mm2) than LTGH (0.40 +/- 0.38 mm2) or HTG (0.34 +/- 0.25 mm2) patients (p < 0.005). No significant difference was found between groups for the area of the neural rim, optic disc, cup/pallor discrepancy, or peripapillary halo, or in the diameter of the largest artery or vein in the inferior and superior peripapillary area. This study raises the question of whether a separate mechanism of damage could exist at the optic disc in patients whose intraocular pressure is < or = 15 mmHg because of a greater extent of peripapillary atrophy than in patients with higher intraocular pressures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA.
authors.forename: X H
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D009896:Optic Atrophy / Q000473:pathology; D009898:Optic Disk / Q000473:pathology*