Visual Field Progression Correlates With Retrobulbar Blood Flow Changes in Patients With Glaucoma

Abstract

Purpose: : To examine the relationship between visual field progression and changes in retrobulbar blood flow in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) after one year of follow-up.

Methods: : Analysis was performed on 76 patients (age 67.7, 43 females) with OAG participating in the Indianapolis Glaucoma Progression Study (IGPS) for changes in visual field and retrobulbar blood flow. Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer using the 24-2 SITA standard algorithm and color Doppler imaging (CDI) of the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries were conducted at baseline and 1 year follow-up visits. The relationship between the peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity and resistive index and the mean deviation defect (MD) and pattern standard deviation defect (PSD) was investigated for each patient.Changes from baseline to one year were calculated for each parameter. Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationship between changes in MD and PSD and blood flow in the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries. P <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: : Changes in visual field PSD were negatively correlated with changes in ophthalmic artery end diastolic blood flow velocity (r=-0.23, p=0.04) and positively correlated with changes in vascular resistance (r=0.26, p=0.026). Changes in PSD and MD did not significantly correlate with changes in central retinal artery blood flow parameters (p<0.05).

Conclusions: : In this cohort of patients with OAG, visual field progression after one year was found to be correlated with reduced ophthalmic blood flow velocity and increasing vascular resistance.

Keywords: visual fields • blood supply • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment