Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopic Examination on Circulation in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

ABSTRACT

To investigate the retinal hemodynamics in chronic primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), high-quality video fluorescein angiograms using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope(SL0 101, Rodenstock, Munich, Germany) were obtained from 22 eyes of 16 patients with POAG and 14 eyes of 14 healthy subjects. From these angiograms, the arm to retinal time (ART), arteriovenous passage time (AvFT), venous fulling time(VFT) and arteriovenous fulling time (AvFT) were quantified. And these parameters of retinal circulation of the group of patients with POAG were compared with those of the age-matched group of healthy subjects. There were no significant differences in the ART between two groups (p=0.09). But significant prolongations of the AvPT, VFT and AvFT of the group of patients with POAG(2.5 +/- 1.1, 8.4 +/- 1.8 and 10.9 +/- 2. sec, respectively) were observed compared to the values (1.8 +/- 0.7, 6.4 +/- 2.2 and 8.1 +/- 2. 4 sec, respectively) obtained among the healthy subjects (p=0.04, p=0.007 and p=0.0008, respectively). These results indicate that a significant retinal microcirculatory deficit exists in the eyes of POAG, and the VFT and AvFT may be good indices of retinal microcirculatory deficit in the eyes of POAG.