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Ocular blood flow and choroidal thickness in ocular hypertension

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Abstract

Purpose

Ocular hypertension (OHT) is a clinical entity characterized by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) without optic nerve damage. In the presence of other risk factors, OHT may progress to glaucoma. This study aimed to evaluate ocular blood flow (OBF) and choroidal thickness (CT), which may be markers and/or risk factors that could assess the progression of OHT to glaucoma.

Material and methods

Age and gender matched 60 eyes of 32 patients with OHT and 61 eyes of 31 control patients were included for this study. All participants underwent a detailed ophthalmological examination including best-corrected visual acuity, IOP measurement with Goldmann applanation tonometry, gonioscopy, optic nerve evaluation with 78 D lens, and visual field test with Humphrey visual field analyzer. Retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell complex, and central corneal thickness measurements were performed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). CT was measured with OCT in the fovea, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, 2.5 mm nasal and temporal to the fovea and from nasal and temporal to the optic disk. OBF data including peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), resistivity index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) were measured with color Doppler imaging (CDI) from the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA), medial and lateral branches of short posterior ciliary arteries (MPCA, LPCA). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic arterial blood pressure were also noted.

Results

CT measurement at each point in the OHT group compared to the control group were found to be significantly thinner (p = 0.001). There was a decrement in CT from the fovea to the nasal and temporal retina in both groups. In the OHT group, there was a significant decrease in PSV and EDV of OA, CRA, MPCA, and LPCA, and a significant increase in PI and RI of measured arteries. (EDV p = 0.036, PI p = 0.006, RI p = 0.006 for OA and p = 0.001 for other arteries and all OBF measurements). There was a negative correlation between CT and age, IOP and axial length (AL) in OHT group (r = − 0.529, p = 0.001; r = − 0.258, p = 0.047; r = − 0.345, p = 0.007, respectively, for fovea). But there was no statistically significant correlation between CT and other measurements in the control group, except age (r = − 0.860 p = 0.001 for fovea).

Conclusion

We found that OBF decrement and choroidal thinning in OHT group compared with controls. Interpretation both of CT measurements with OCT and OBF parameters with CDI and new imaging technologies may help to prevent and reduce the possible optic nerve damage.

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Funding

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic of Ophthalmology, Ulucanlar Eye Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey

    Serdar Bayraktar

  2. Ankara, Turkey

    Ali İpek

  3. Clinic of Ophthalmology, Ankara City Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey

    Tamer Takmaz & Yelda Yildiz Tasci

  4. Clinic of Radiology, Forum Yasam Hospital, Mersin, Turkey

    Mehmet Can Gezer

Authors
  1. Serdar Bayraktar
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  2. Ali İpek
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  3. Tamer Takmaz
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  4. Yelda Yildiz Tasci
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  5. Mehmet Can Gezer
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Contributions

All authors have contributed to the design of the study, the interpretation of data, the draft, gave their final approval to the manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Serdar Bayraktar.

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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Bayraktar, S., İpek, A., Takmaz, T. et al. Ocular blood flow and choroidal thickness in ocular hypertension. Int Ophthalmol 42, 1357–1368 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-02123-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-02123-2

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