Corneal biomechanics in glaucoma patients

Abstract

In the clinical, the visual field defect of patients with ideal intraocular pressure is continued to progress, but in some patients the progress of the disease can be delayed even if the intraocular pressure cannot be significantly reduced. Therefore, the differences of individual sensitivity of the patient to the intraocular pressure determine the development of glaucoma. The collagen fibers of cornea and sclera which have similar compositions are connected to each other, and the corneal's Descemet top layer extends to form the core of the trabecular meshwork collagen. Therefore, corneal biomechanic is the first factor of the whole eyeball’s biomechanical properties. With the high pressure, the elastic tissues such as the cornea are less able to withstand deformation, leading to the compression of lamina cribrosa and the damage of visual field. The differences of the individual corneal biomechanic may explain the differences in the sensitivity of the optic nerve to intraocular pressure. This paper reviews the relationship between corneal biomechanic and glaucoma diagnosis, progression and treatment, in order to providing guidance for clinic. (Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2018, 42: 83-88) Key words: corneal biomechanics; glaucoma/diagnosis; intraocular pressure; ocular response analyzer; Corvis ST