Abstract
Although ocular circulation at the retina and optic disc is known to be associated with the pathology of glaucoma, direct measurement of blood flow velocity has been difficult to obtain. This prospective observational study enrolled 11 consecutive patients with treatment-naïve primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 11 healthy subjects, and the effects of topical tafluprost treatment on ocular circulation were examined at baseline and at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after initiating treatment with topical tafluprost on POAG patients using multiple modalities, which include adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Baseline mean intraocular pressure (IOP) was significantly higher and mean parafoveal blood flow velocity (pBFV) was significantly lower in POAG eyes than in healthy eyes. Mean IOP was significantly decreased (1 week, −19.1%; 4 weeks, −17.7%; and 12 weeks, −23.5%; all P < 0.001) and mean pBFV was significantly increased from the baseline at all follow-up periods after initiating treatment (1 week, 14.9%, P = 0.007; 4 weeks, 21.3%, P < 0.001; and 12 weeks, 14.3%, P = 0.002). These results reveal that tafluprost may not only lower IOP but may also improve retinal circulation in POAG eyes and AOSLO may be useful to evaluate retinal circulatory change after treatment.
Highlights
Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) is a promising technology that allows for the non-invasive monitoring of leukocyte movements and the direct measurement of the parafoveal retinal blood flow velocity without the use of contrast dyes[17, 18]
Many questions regarding its effects on ocular circulation remain to be answered, such as whether the retinal blood flow of the glaucomatous eyes could be affected by topical tafluprost treatment, whether the optic disc blood flow in eyes with other than myopic disc type could change in response to tafluprost treatment, whether the circulations of the retina and optic disc change simultaneously, or which kinds of measurements are likely to detect the changes in ocular circulation
The parafoveal retinal blood flow velocity (pBFV) measured by adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO), the MBRT measured by Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG), and RVDs of an artery (RVDA) and RVDV measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were significantly lower in untreated eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) than in healthy eyes
Summary
Adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) is a promising technology that allows for the non-invasive monitoring of leukocyte movements and the direct measurement of the parafoveal retinal blood flow velocity (pBFV) without the use of contrast dyes[17, 18]. Laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) can measure relative optic disc blood flow using the laser speckle phenomenon and its measurement, mean blur rate (MBR), has been used for optic disc blood flow evaluation[6, 23,24,25,26,27] It is unknown if parafoveal retinal blood flow velocity (pBFV) in glaucoma patients is different from that in healthy subjects and if it is affected by glaucoma treatment, or if it changes as the other parameters. In treatment-naïve primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) patients: parafoveal retinal blood flow using AOSLO, RVD using OCT, and optic disc blood flow using LSFG (Fig. 1)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
