Abstract
Purpose :
The patterns of blood flow (BF) disturbances related to different optic neuropathies using laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG).
Methods :
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 24 eyes of 24 patients with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAAION), 59 eyes of 59 patients with optic neuritis (ON), 677 eyes of 677 patients with open-angle glaucoma, and 110 eyes of 110 control participants. The patient backgrounds were compared between all groups. Ophthalmologic findings were then evaluated by adjusting for age, gender, blood pressure, pulse rate, and underlying disease with 1:1 optimal propensity score matching. LSFG was used to measure mean blur rate (MBR), and ONH and choroidal BF were evaluated by marking the large-vessel area (MV) and tissue area (MT) within an elliptical area around the ONH and a corresponding region in the peripapillary choroidal area. The NAAION and ON groups were compared with the control and glaucoma groups. Group comparisons were done using chi-square tests, t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, or the Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results :
The NAAION group had a higher age, and the ON group had more women(P<0.001). Higher prevalence of hypertension, heart disease, and sleep apnea syndrome in the NAAION group (P<0.05). The control group's best-corrected visual acuity was better than the other groups (P<0.001). The NAAION and ON groups had thicker retinal nerve fiber layers, while the glaucoma group had thinner layers (P<0.001) compared to the control group. The NAAION group showed a decrease in ONH MV (P=0.002) and a decrease in choroidal MBR (P<0.001) compared to the control group. The NAAION group exhibited a decrease in ONH MV (P=0.003) and choroidal MBR (P<0.001) when compared to the glaucoma group, while ONH MT did not show any significant difference (P=0.838). The ON group had lower ONH MV (P<0.001) and choroidal MBR (P=0.022) compared to controls, with no significant difference in ONH MT (P=0.773). The ON group showed no significant differences in ONH MV (P=0.372) or choroidal MBR (P=0.524) compared to the glaucoma group but had significantly lower ONH MT (P<0.001). The glaucoma group showed lower ONH MV (P<0.001), lower ONH MT (P<0.001), and lower choroidal MBR (P<0.001) compared to the control group.
Conclusions :
Optic neuropathies showed different patterns of BF impairment. LSFG can be beneficial for differentiating between optic neuropathies.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.