[Para-papillary chorioretinal atrophy in eyes with shallow glaucomatous optic disk cupping]

Parapapillary chorioretinal atrophy is present in some, but not all glaucomatous eyes. We examined whether eyes with shallow or with deep optic cupping showed more pronounced parapapillary atrophy. To this end, we analyzed 15 degree color stereo optic disc photographs of 141 eyes of 95 normal subjects and 211 eyes of 120 patients suffering from chronic open-angle glaucoma morphometrically. Optic cup depth was semiquantitatively estimated in a relative score ranging from 0 to 5. It increased significantly with increasing glaucoma damage indicated by smaller neuroretinal rim area, higher visual field loss, decreased retinal nerve fiber layer index and more advanced morphological glaucoma stage. Conversely, optic cup depth was inversely correlated with parapapillary atrophy. It decreased significantly with increasing glaucomatous parapapillary atrophy. When two subgroups of eyes with deep and eyes with shallow cups, were formed, matched for neuroretinal rim area, perimetric defects and retinal nerve fiber layer index, the parapapillary atrophy was found to be significantly more pronounced in the subgroup with shallow optic cups than in the subgroup with deep cupping. We conclude that there is a correlation between shallow optic disc cupping and pronounced parapapillary chorioretinal atrophy. This may indicate a common element in their pathogenesis.