Ocular hypertension and primary open-angle glaucoma: a comparative study of their retrobulbar blood flow velocity.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the orbital blood flow velocities of patients with long-standing ocular hypertension and patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.


METHODS
Twenty patients with ocular hypertension were recruited from our clinic and underwent color Doppler imaging evaluation of their retrobulbar vessels. The blood flow velocities and resistance index of their central retinal artery, temporal short posterior ciliary artery, and ophthalmic artery were compared with those of 20 glaucoma patients individually matched for age and level of the highest untreated intraocular pressure ever recorded.


RESULTS
Glaucoma patients had significantly lower peak systolic velocity and end-diastolic velocity than did patients with ocular hypertension in their central retinal artery (p < 0.001). No significant difference between the groups was observed in the other vessels studied.


CONCLUSIONS
Glaucoma patients had lower blood flow velocity in the central retinal artery compared with that of ocular hypertension patients of similar age and level of untreated intraocular pressure. This might be important in the development of glaucomatous damage in those patients.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
M T
MT
Nicolela
B E
BE
Walman
A R
AR
Buckley
S M
SM
Drance
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D009915:Orbit / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color