Association Between Peripheral Vascular Endothelial Function and Progression of Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiovascular Research
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a progressive optic neuropathy.
• Peripheral vascular endothelial function plays a role in systemic health.
• Assessing endothelial function may offer insights into glaucoma pathogenesis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between Humphrey visual field progression and peripheral vascular endothelial function in OAG patients.
• To determine if flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) correlates with the rate of visual field loss in OAG.
• To explore potential links between endothelial dysfunction and glaucoma progression.

Main Methods:

• Enrolled 40 OAG patients (22 NTG, 18 POAG) for a mean follow-up of 7.47 years.
• Assessed visual field progression using Humphrey visual field testing and pointwise linear regression.
• Measured peripheral vascular endothelial function via noninvasive brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) using ultrasonography.

Main Results:

• A faster superior visual field progression rate was observed across all OAG patients.
• Annual sensitivity change in the inferior peripheral visual field correlated with baseline FMD.
• No significant difference in visual field change slopes was found between NTG and POAG groups.

Conclusions:

• Baseline brachial artery FMD correlates with visual field progression in the inferior periphery of OAG patients.
• Peripheral vascular endothelial dysfunction may be associated with glaucoma progression.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of endothelial function in OAG pathogenesis.