Evaluating pulsatile ocular blood flow analysis in normal and treated glaucomatous eyes

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Technology
• Glaucoma Research

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Early detection and monitoring of glaucoma are crucial for preserving vision.
• Pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) analysis is a potential tool for assessing ocular hemodynamics in glaucoma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) analysis.
• To compare POBF measurements with functional (visual field - VF) and structural (optical coherence tomography - OCT) measures in normal subjects and glaucoma patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, cross-sectional study involving 24 glaucoma patients and 10 healthy subjects.
• POBF analysis, VF testing, and OCT retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) thickness measurements were performed.
• Statistical analysis included comparison of means, correlation, and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in POBF between normal and glaucoma groups (P =.90).
• Significant differences observed in VF (mean deviation, pattern standard deviation) and OCT (mean NFL thickness) between groups (P <.05).
• POBF parameters showed limited correlation with intraocular pressure, VF, or OCT, except for IOP in the glaucoma group (r = -.43, P =.003).
• ROC analysis revealed higher discriminating power for VF and OCT compared to POBF.

Conclusions:

• POBF analysis exhibits a wide range of normal values.
• The low discriminating power of POBF between normal and glaucomatous eyes limits its clinical application.
• VF and OCT are superior to POBF for differentiating between normal and glaucomatous eyes.