Anterior segment, static and dynamic pupillography changes in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma using...

Glaucoma is a major cause of avoidable blindness and the most common type is primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Topical antiglaucomatous agents are the mainstay of treatment. There are many studies on the ocular effects of antiglaucomatous agents and these results may contradict each other. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of topical antiglaucomatous agents on the anterior segment and pupil in patients with POAG.

The right eye of the patients using dorzolamide+timolol, brimonidine, latanoprost and the right eye of the control group were included in the study. Anterior segment and pupillography measurements were performed using Scheimpflug imaging technique with the Sirius device. Central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal volume (CV), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior chamber angle (ACA), anterior chamber volume (ACV), first non-contact tear break up time (NCTBUT), mean NCTBUT, meibography, scotopic, mesopic, photopic pupil sizes and dynamic pupil sizes at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 s(s) were measured.

The dorzolamide+timolol (n = 54), brimonidine (n = 50), and latanoprost (n = 51) groups were compared with the control group (n = 57). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of age, gender, CCT, CV, ACV, 0 and 1 s dynamic pupillography measurements. There were statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of ACD, ACA, first NCTBUT, mean NCTBUT, meibography, scotopic, mesopic, photopic pupil sizes and dynamic pupillography values at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 s.

This study demonstrated that the most commonly used antiglaucomatous agents increased ACD and ACA but did not affect other anterior segment structures, such as CCT, CV, or ACV. On the ocular surface, antiglaucomatous agents had significant negative effects. Meibography revealed adverse effects on the eyelids. Both first and mean NCTBUT were shortened. In pupillography, both static and dynamic pupil diameters were significantly smaller than those in the control group.