Baseline intraocular pressure is more strongly correlated with changes in optic nerve head and retinal structural parameters in open angle glaucoma patients of African descent after 4 years

Abstract

Purpose : To examine the relationship between baseline intraocular pressure (IOP) and changes in structural parameters in open angle glaucoma (OAG) patients of African (AD) and European descent (ED) after 4 years.

Methods : 86 patients with OAG (20 AD, 66 ED) were assessed for IOP at baseline using Goldmann applanation and for optic nerve head (ONH) parameters and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) using Heidelberg retinal tomography 3 (HRT3) every 6 months over a 4-year period. Pearson correlations were used to test for associations between measurements with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results : Baseline IOP (mmHg) in patients of AD and ED was 16.85 (95% CI=14.92, 18.78) and 15.64 (14.21, 17.07), respectively. In OAG patients of AD, baseline IOP was positively and significantly correlated with glaucomatous changes in rim volume (r=0.61, p<0.00), mean RNFL thickness (r=0.52, p=0.02), and RNFL cross–sectional area (r=0.49, p=0.03). Baseline IOP in OAG patients of AD was also negatively and significantly correlated with changes in cup area (r=-0.47, p=0.04), cup/disc area ratio (r=-0.51, p=0.02), and linear cup/disc ratio (r=-0.48, p=0.03). In ED patients, these relationships were weakly correlated and significantly different compared to AD patients (all comparisons p<0.05)

Conclusions : In OAG patients of AD, baseline IOP is more strongly associated with changes in optic nerve head and retinal structural parameters compared to OAG patients of ED after 4 years.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.