ABSTRACT
This study was designed to investigate the flow velocity in ophthalmic and central retinal arteries in glaucoma patients and to assess the effect of systemic hypertension on this circulation. Twenty-eight patients with primary open-angle glaucoma were included in this study. Twelve of these patients had a history of systemic hypertension. Seven of them were controlled with anti-hypertensive medications while the other fire patients had uncontrolled hypertension. Results of glaucomatous patients were compared with those of 10 age-matched controls. Peak systolic velocity, [PSV], end-diastolic velocity [EDV] and resistivity index [RI] were measured using color Doppler imaging with 7.5 MHz probe. Significant increase in the RI in the ophthalmic and C.R. arteries, which means low blood flow to the optic nerve is reported in the glaucoma patients without systemic hypertension as compared to the control group. Also, a significant decrease in RI of both examined arteries is noted in glaucoma with uncontrolled hypertension as compared with glaucoma patients without hypertension and glaucoma patients with controlled hypertension. Although glaucoma can produce reduction in the optic nerve blood flow, systemic hypertension in glaucoma patients helps to maintain adequate perfusion to the optic nerve. While decrease in blood pressure may be associated with reduction in optic nerve flow