Corneal hysteresis and its relevance to glaucoma

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Glaucoma Research
• Corneal Biomechanics

Background:

• Glaucoma is a primary cause of irreversible blindness globally, affecting millions and projected to increase.
• Vision loss in glaucoma patients can persist despite management based on traditional risk factors.
• Corneal hysteresis is an emerging variable associated with glaucoma risk and progression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent findings on corneal hysteresis in relation to glaucoma.
• To explore the association between corneal hysteresis and glaucoma risk and progression.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of recent studies on corneal hysteresis and glaucoma.
• Analysis of the relationship between corneal hysteresis and glaucoma progression, optic nerve damage, and visual field defects.

Main Results:

• Low corneal hysteresis is associated with optic nerve and visual field damage in glaucoma.
• Reduced corneal hysteresis correlates with increased risk of structural and functional glaucoma progression.
• Corneal hysteresis influences intraocular pressure (IOP) interpretation and the efficacy of IOP-lowering treatments.

Conclusions:

• Corneal hysteresis offers valuable insights into glaucoma management, potentially exceeding the predictive power of central corneal thickness.
• Low corneal hysteresis is linked to glaucoma presence, progression risk, and treatment effectiveness.
• Corneal hysteresis is a dynamic measure that may improve with IOP-lowering interventions.