A comparion of ocular blood flow in untreated primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertenion Original Reearch Article

Purpoe: To compare ocular blood flow in untreated primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertenion uing canning laer Doppler flowmetry and pulatile ocular blood flow. Method: Fourteen ocular hypertenive ubject and 10 patient with primary open-angle glaucoma were matched for intraocular preure, mean arterial blood preure, and age. They had canning laer Doppler flowmetry image taken centered on the optic dik. Pulatile ocular blood flow reading were performed in itting, tanding, and upine poition. No ubject were receiving topical antiglaucoma treatment, ytemic β-blocker, calcium antagonit, or nitrate at the time of meaurement. Reult: Laer Doppler flowmetry reult howed a ignificant reduction in blood velocity, volume, and flow at the lamina cribroa and the temporal neuroretinal rim in glaucoma compared to ocular hypertenion (P < .05). No difference wa found between the group at the naal neuroretinal rim or the naal juxtapapillary retina. There wa a ignificant increae in minimum velocity (P = .03) at the temporal juxtapapillary retina in glaucoma compared to ocular hypertenion. The ocular pule amplitude, pule volume, and pulatile ocular blood flow were ignificantly lower (P < .05) in the glaucoma group compared to ocular hypertenion in itting and tanding poition. Concluion: Having controlled for factor known to affect perfuion preure, we found evidence of reduced ocular blood flow in primary open-angle glaucoma compared with ocular hypertenion. Our finding indicate a reduction in choroidal and hort poterior ciliary artery circulation in primary open-angle glaucoma. Whether thee change in blood flow are a caue or a conequence of glaucomatou optic atrophy i till unknown.