Reduced Pulsatile Trabecular Meshwork Motion in Eyes With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Using Phase-Sensitive Optical...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Glaucoma Research

Background:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Trabecular meshwork (TM) function is crucial for regulating intraocular pressure.
• Understanding TM biomechanics is vital for glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in pulsatile TM motion between normal and POAG eyes.
• To evaluate the utility of phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT) in quantifying TM motion.
• To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of TM motion parameters with existing clinical measures.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving healthy subjects and POAG patients.
• Utilized a laboratory-based PhS-OCT system to measure pulsatile TM motion (maximum velocity [MV] and cumulative displacement [CDisp]).
• Measured outflow facility and ocular pulse amplitude; compared diagnostic performance using receiver operating characteristic curves.

Main Results:

• PhS-OCT detected pulsatile TM motion synchronous with the digital pulse in both groups.
• Mean MV and CDisp were significantly lower in POAG eyes compared to healthy eyes (P < 0.001).
• CDisp correlated with ocular pulse amplitude; MV and CDisp showed better glaucoma discrimination than outflow facility.

Conclusions:

• Pulsatile TM motion is significantly reduced in POAG patients.
• Altered TM tissue stiffness or biomechanical properties may underlie reduced motion in POAG.
• PhS-OCT measurement of pulsatile TM motion shows promise for characterizing outflow pathway abnormalities in glaucoma.