Choroidal hemodynamic in myopic patients with and without primary open‐angle glaucoma

Abstract

To investigate the change in subfoveal choroidal blood flow in patients with glaucoma and to assess the effect of myopia, as one of the vascular risk factors for glaucoma on this flow. Subfoveal choroidal blood flow in groups of 12 myopic and glaucomatous eyes has been investigated by means of the laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), comparing the results with those of 17 myopic eyes without glaucoma, 34 non-myopic glaucomatous eyes and of 50 control eyes. The subfoveal choroidal LDF parameters, that is, blood velocity (ChBVel), volume (ChBVol), and flow (ChBF), as well as the vascular resistance were studied in each group. Statistical analysis was performed by means of anova and t-test according to the Bonferroni procedure for multiple comparisons. Pearson correlation was used to establish the correlations between the hemodynamic parameters and the degree of myopia in dioptres. All LDF parameters (ChBVel, ChBVol and ChBF) were significantly reduced in glaucomatous patients (1.3 ± 0.4, 0.14 ± 0.06 and 4 ± 2 respectively) and myopic patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) (1.3 ± 0.4, 0.08 ± 0.04 and 2 ± 0.7 respectively) and without POAG (1.2 ± 0.3, 0.11 ± 0.08 and 2 ± 1 respectively) in comparison with age-matched controls (1.5 ± 0.4, 0.27 ± 0.1 and 8 ± 2 respectively). On the other hand, the choroidal vascular resistance (Rm) was increased in the previously described studied patients groups (16 ± 7, 26 ± 9 and 24 ± 9 respectively) compared with controls (7 ± 2). The LDF parameters did not differ significantly between myopic subjects without and with POAG (p = 0.09, p = 0.09, p = 0.2, p = 0.08 and p = 0.9 respectively). Compared to patients with emmetropic glaucomatous, significant reduction in the ChBVol and ChBF and increased Rm were recorded in patients with glaucomatous myopia (p = 0.05, p = 0.04 and p = 0.04 respectively). Pearson correlation demonstrated a significant correlation between the degree of myopia in dioptres and the ChBF (p = 0.012). The subfoveal choroidal LDF parameters were reduced in patients with POAG and myopia. Theses alterations are more in glaucomatous patients with myopia in comparison with age-matched glaucomatous patients without myopia. These data suggest that the impaired choroidal circulation caused by myopia might be an important additional risk factor involved in the glaucomatous damaging process.