Ocular haemodynamics in pseudoexfoliative and primary open-angle glaucoma

Abstract

Objective: To compare the retrobulbar haemodynamic parameters in the ophthalmic artery (OA) and short posterior ciliary arteries (SPCA) in pseudoexfoliative and primary open-angle glaucoma patients. Subjects and methods: fourty-three eyes from 43 patients with pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PXE) and 31 eyes from 31 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. Colour Doppler imaging measurements, peak systolic velocity (PSV), and end-diastolic velocity (EDV) were assessed in the OA and posterior ciliary arteries (PCA). Pourcelot resistivity indices (RI) were calculated. Visual function was assessed using the 24-2 Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm (SITA). The main outcomes of the study were PSV, EDV, and RI in the OA and SPCA. Results: In POAG patients, PSV and EDV were significantly lower in the OA, P = 0.003 and P < 0.001 respectively, and in the PCA, P = 0.003 and P < 0.001 respectively, when compared with the PXE group. The RI was significantly higher, P < 0.001, in both vessels, in the POAG group. Conclusion: The resultsof this study have found reduced PSV and EDV and increased RI in the retrobulbar vessels of POAG patients when compared with PXE patients.