Change in retinal arterial blood flow in the contralateral eye of retinal vein occlusion during glucose tolerance test.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the changes in retinal blood flow (RBF) during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test in the contralateral eye of patients with retinal branch vein occlusion (BRVO).


METHODS
Seventeen patients with BRVO were included. None had a known history of diabetes mellitus. The blood velocity and vessel diameter of the upper temporal retinal artery in the contralateral eye were measured using laser Doppler velocimetry with an eye-tracking system before and 1, 2, and 3 h after oral intake of 75 g glucose. Blood sugar, systemic blood pressure, and intraocular pressure were monitored. Eleven healthy volunteers were examined similarly as control.


RESULTS
Nine patients (53%) with BRVO had an abnormal pattern on the glucose tolerance test. RBF significantly increased at 1, 2, and 3 h in eight patients with normal glucose tolerance. The changes in RBF primarily resulted from changes in vessel diameter; the blood velocity did not change significantly. The nine patients with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus had a RBF pattern that was significantly lower at 2 and 3 h than those with normal oral glucose tolerance. In the control group, all 11 volunteers showed the same increases in RBF at 2 and 3 h as the BRVO patients with a normal glucose pattern.


CONCLUSIONS
A relatively high number of patients with BRVO had an abnormal pattern on glucose tolerance testing. Glucose intake increased RBF in BRVO patients without diabetes and in healthy volunteers. The RBF response may differ between subjects with diabetes and those without diabetes.
Kida
Teruyo
T
Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigakucho, Takatsuki, 569-8686, Japan. opt038@poh.osaka-med.ac.jp
Harino
Seiyo
S
Sugiyama
Tetsuya
T
Kitanishi
Kuniko
K
Iwahashi
Yoshiko
Y
Ikeda
Tsunehiko
T
D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000503:physiopathology*
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005947:Glucose