Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of physical exercise and nifedipine on ocular pulse amplitude

  • Laboratory Investigation
  • Published:
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

• Background: Ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) was measured to investigate the influence of peripheral vasoconstriction and vasodilatation on choroidal perfusion in healthy volunteers and to determine whether low OPA in low-tension glaucoma (LTG) patients is associated with a vasospastic reaction and its response to the calcium channel blocker nifedipine.

• Methods: OPA was determined using the Langham ocular blood flow (OBF) system, applanation intraocular pressure (IOP), systemic blood pressure, and heart rate were measured, and ocular perfusion pressure was calculated before and after exercise and smoking in 12 otherwise nonsmoking, healthy volunteers and prior to and for 3 months after initiation of nifedipine therapy in 32 LTG patients with and without a vasospastic reaction as manifested by a nailfold capillary blood flow test.

• Results: Exercise significantly (P<0.05) increased heart rate, systolic blood pressure and ocular perfusion pressure, while it significantly (P<0.05) reduced IOP and diastolic blood pressure. However, OPA was not significantly (P>0.1) affected by changes in these parameters. Smoking significantly (P<0.05) increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and ocular perfusion pressure but did not significantly (P>0.09) alter OPA. There were two distinct LTG subtypes, with and without a vasospastic reaction. Only those with a vasospastic reaction showed a significant (P<0.001) increase in OPA after 3 months of nifedipine treatment, while all other parameters tested were not significantly altered.

• Conclusion: Despite affecting ocular and systemic perfusion parameters, exercise and smoking did not alter OPA, suggesting functional isolation, i.e. autoregulation of the choroidal and/or ophthalmic artery circulation in healthy volunteers. Low OPA in LTG was increased by nifedipine only in vasospastic LTG patients, suggesting different, vasotonus-related pathologies. Calcium channel blockers and other vasodilators may be useful in vasoreactive LTG patients with reduced OPA.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alm A, Bill A (1972) The oxygen supply to the retina. II. Effects of high intraocular pressure and increased arterial carbon dioxide tension on uveal and retinal blood flow in cats. Acta Physiol Scand 84: 306–319

    Google Scholar 

  2. Alm A, Bill A (1973) Ocular and optic nerve blood flow at normal and increased intraocular pressures in monkeys (Macaca iris): a study with radioactively labelled microspheres including flow determinations in brain and some other tissues. Exp Eye Res 15: 15–29

    Google Scholar 

  3. Alm A, Bill A, Young FA (1973) The effects of pilocarpine and neostigmine on the ocular blood flow through the anterior uvea in monkeys. A study with radioactively labelled microspheres. Exp Eye Res 15: 31–36

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bill A (1975) Blood circulation and fluid dynamics in the eye. Physiol Rev 55: 383

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bill A (1981) Ocular circulation. In: Moses RA (ed) Adler's physiology of the eye. Mosby, St. Louis, pp 184–203

    Google Scholar 

  6. Bill A, Sperber GO (1989) Control of retinal and choroidal blood flow. Eye 4: 319–325

    Google Scholar 

  7. Drance SM, Douglas GR, Wijsman K, Schulzer M, Britton RJ (1988) Response of blood flow to warm and cold in normal and low tension glaucoma. Am J Ophtalmol 105:35–39

    Google Scholar 

  8. Forest CR, Xu N, Pang CY (1994) Evidence for nicotine induced skin flap ischemic necrosis in the pig. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 72: 30–38

    Google Scholar 

  9. Friedmann E, Kopald H, Smith T (1964) Retinal and choroidal blood flow determined with krypton-85 in anesthesized animals. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 3: 539–547

    Google Scholar 

  10. Hales JR, Ludbrook J (1988) Baroreflex participation in redistribution of cardiac output at onset of exercise. J Appl Physiol 64: 627–634

    Google Scholar 

  11. Harris A, Malinovsky V, Martin B (1994) Correlates of acute exercise-induced ocular hypotension. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 35: 3852–3857

    Google Scholar 

  12. Harris A, Sergott RC, Spaeth GL, Katz JL, Shoemaker JA, Martin BJ (1994) Color doppler analysis of ocular vessel blood velocity in normal-tension glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol 118:642–649

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kiowski W, Linder L, Stoschitzky K, Pfisterer M, Burckhardt D, Burkart F, Buhler RF (1994) Diminished vascular response to inhibition of endothelium-derived administered endothelin-1 in clinically healthy smokers. Circulation 90: 27–34

    Google Scholar 

  14. Kitazawa Y, Shirai H, Go FJ (1989) The effect of a Ca++ antagonist on visual field in low tension glaucoma. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 227:408–412

    Google Scholar 

  15. Lumme P, Tuulonen A, Airaksinen PJ, Alanko HI (1991) Neuroretinal rim area in low tension glaucoma: effect of nifedipine and acetazolamide compared to no treatment. Acta Ophthalmol Copenh 69: 293–298

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mahler F, Saner H, Boss C, et al (1987) Local cold exposure test for capillaroscopic examination of patients with Raynaud's syndrome. Microvasc Res 33:422–427

    Google Scholar 

  17. Marcus DF, Krupin T, Podos SM, Becker B (1970) The effect of exercise on intraocular pressure. I. Human beings. Invest Ophthalmol 9: 749–752

    Google Scholar 

  18. Mittag TW, Serle J, Schumer R, Brodie S, Stegmann D, Schmidt KG, Taniguchi T, Henn Rho Sae, Podos SM (1994) Studies of the ocular pulse in primates. Surv Ophthalmol 38 [Suppl]: 183–190

    Google Scholar 

  19. Netland PA, Chaturvedi N, Dreyer EB (1993) Calcium channel blockers in the management of low tension and open-angle glaucoma. Am J Ophthalmol 115: 608–613

    Google Scholar 

  20. Parver LM (1991) Temperature modulating action of choroidal blood flow. Eye 5: 181–185

    Google Scholar 

  21. Phelps CD, Corbett JJ (1985) Migraine and low tension glaucoma. A case control study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 26: 1105–1108

    Google Scholar 

  22. Pillunat LE, Stodtmeister R, Marquardt R, Mattern A (1989) Ocular perfusion pressures in different types of glaucoma. Int Ophthalmol 13: 37–42

    Google Scholar 

  23. Quigley HA, Hohmann RM, Addicks EM, Green WR (1984) Blood vessels of the glaucomatous optic disc in experimental primate and human eyes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 25: 918–931

    Google Scholar 

  24. Rojanapongpun P, Drance SM, Morrison BJ (1993) Ophthalmic artery flow velocity in glaucomatous and normal subjects. Br J Ophthalmol 77: 25–29

    Google Scholar 

  25. Schmidt KG, Stegman DY, Serle JB, Garrett DT, Camras CB, Mittag TW, Podos SM (1991) Ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) in primary open angle glaucoma, low tension glaucoma, and in ocular hypertensive patients before and after topical drug treatment (ARVO abstract). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 32 [Suppl]: 943

    Google Scholar 

  26. Schwartz B (1986) Changes in optic disc in ocular hypertension and glaucoma. Jpn J Ophthalmol 30: 143–153

    Google Scholar 

  27. Tornquist P, Alm A (1979) Retinal and choroidal contribution to retinal metabolism in vivo. A study in pigs. Acta Physiol Scand 106: 351–357

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universitäts-Augenklinik, Friedrichstrasse 18, D-35385, Giessen, Germany

    Karl-Georg Schmidt, Sima Pavlovic & Volker Hessemer

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029-6574, New York, NY, USA

    Karl-Georg Schmidt & Thomas Wesley Mittag

Authors
  1. Karl-Georg Schmidt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thomas Wesley Mittag
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sima Pavlovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Volker Hessemer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Schmidt, KG., Mittag, T.W., Pavlovic, S. et al. Influence of physical exercise and nifedipine on ocular pulse amplitude. Graefe's Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 234, 527–532 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00184863

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00184863

Keywords

Search

Navigation