Intraocular pressure during hemodialysis

Abstract

Hemodialysis, a useful treatment for patients with severely compromised renal function, has also unfavorable side effects. In the ophthalmologic area, a rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) during dialysis accompanied by ocular pain has been reported. In our study when measuring IOP, as well as serum osmolality and plasma CO2 pressure every 30 minutes during routine hemodialysis in renal failure patients with a normal aqueous outflow facility, the mean percent changes of IOP to the initial value showed no significant difference at any time, although the changes in serum osmolality decreased significantly. The mean percent changes of plasma CO2 pressure also did not show any significant difference during dialysis. In patients with a poor aqueous outflow facility, the mean percent changes of IOP increased significantly after 90 minutes, with the exception of the change at 180 minutes. The mean percent changes of serum osmolality decreased significantly after starting dialysis. A negative correlation in the mean percent change of IOP with that of serum osmolality was detected. The administration of an intravenous hyperosmotic agent prevented significant changes not only in serum osmolality but also in IOP. Therefore, it is considered that hemodialysis causes a decrease in serum osmolality, resulting in an osmotic gradient between the plasma and the intraocular fluids due to the presence of the blood-ocular barrier. Although the osmotic gradient draws water from the plasma into the eye, if there is no abnormal obstruction in the aqueous outflow pathway, an amount of aqueous humor matching the increase in intraocular fluid goes through the pathway out of the eye to maintain the normal level of IOP. In eyes with an obstructed aqueous outflow pathway, however, this compensatory mechanism of aqueous humor drainage does not work well, and results in an IOP elevation.