Optic Disc Blood Flow Measured by Scanning Laser-Doppler Flowmetry Using a New Analysis Program

Purpose: Using a new analysis program for scanning laser-Doppler flowmetry (SLDF) by a Heidelberg retina flowmeter (HRF), we studied the relation between flow and visual field or disc morphology.Subjects and Methods: In 42 eyes of 21 patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) the mean-flow of the HRF blood flow parameters at the disc rim was measured and analyzed by a new analysis program for perfusion maps (the SLDF analysis tool), to minimize the influence of large vessels or/and artifacts caused by small eye movements. We investigated whether difference of the mean-flow between a pair of eyes had any relation to differences between a pair of eyes in visual field indices and those in disc morphological measurements of the Heidelberg retina tomograph.Results: We found statistically significant correlations between the mean-flow and optic disc parameters (Disk Area, Cup Area, Height Variation Contour, Cup Volume, Rim Volume, Mean RNFL Thickness). We found no statistically significant correlations between the mean-flow and visual field parameters (mean deviation, corrected pattern standard deviation).Conclusion: The results suggested that eyes with less flow in the optic disc rim have more advanced glaucomatous morphological changes.