[Changes in regional hemodynamics indices in patients with open-angle glaucoma]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Medical Engineering

Background:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Ocular hemodynamics play a crucial role in glaucoma pathogenesis and progression.
• Understanding hemodynamic changes is vital for managing OAG.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine changes in ocular hemodynamic parameters in OAG patients.
• To correlate these changes with glaucoma severity and intraocular pressure (IOP).
• To assess the impact of surgery on ocular hemodynamics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a computer-aided vacuum ophthalmodynamometer to measure ocular hemodynamics.
• Assessed patients with well-developed and far-advanced OAG stages.
• Measured mean dynamic pressure in the orbital artery, perfusion pressure, and orbital-brachial coefficient.

Main Results:

• Progressive decrease in perfusion pressure correlated with increased orbital artery pressure in early OAG stages, indicating compensatory autoregulation.
• In advanced OAG (stage IIIc), decreased perfusion pressure was linked to reduced orbital artery pressure, suggesting autoregulation failure.
• Linear equations were derived to describe the relationship between hemodynamic changes and IOP.

Conclusions:

• Ocular hemodynamic changes vary with OAG stage and IOP, reflecting the status of ocular blood flow autoregulation.
• Compensatory mechanisms are observed in earlier stages, while failure is evident in advanced OAG.
• Post-surgical follow-up indicated sustained hemodynamic alterations.