Variations in ocular hemodynamics in patients with early and late glaucoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the retrobulbar hemodynamics in glaucoma patients with different degrees of optic nerve damage.


METHODS
Color Doppler imaging was performed in 52 patients with controlled primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and in 25 control subjects. Glaucomatous eyes were divided into early and late groups based on the perimetry findings. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive index of the central retinal artery (CRA) and posterior ciliary arteries (PCA) were evaluated.


RESULTS
Early glaucoma showed significantly decreased PSV in nasal PCA when compared with the normal. Late glaucoma showed significantly decreased PSV and EDV in the CRA and nasal PCA, and significantly decreased PSV in temporal PCA as compared with the control and early glaucoma. The resistive index of the CRA also increased significantly in late glaucoma.


CONCLUSIONS
Eyes with advanced glaucomatous optic neuropathy were associated with more marked alterations in retrobulbar circulation than eyes with less nerve damage.
Liu
C J
CJ
Department of Ophthalmology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan.
Chiou
H J
HJ
Chiang
S C
SC
Chou
J C
JC
Chou
Y H
YH
Liu
J H
JH
D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D019842:Ciliary Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005902:Glaucoma, Open-Angle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D014794:Visual Fields