Anterior segment autonomic dysfunction in ocular hypertension

Autonomic nerve function in the anterior segment of the eye was assessed by measurement of the pupil cycle time in 189 patients with ocular hypertension and 70 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Parasympathetic dysfunction was significantly present in ocular hypertensive patients with narrow irido-corneal angles, though not in wide-angle subjects. The results are discussed, with particular reference to the accumulating evidence implicating autonomic dysfunction as a significant factor in the pathogenesis of the primary glaucomas.