ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate a possible influence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide autoantibodies (ACPA) - positive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on visual field (VF) testing in patients with arterial hypertension (aHT). METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study comparing patients with ACPA-positive RA and aHT, patients with aHT and healthy subjects. Further inclusion criteria were visual acuity (VA) of 0.8 or better and age between 40 and 60 years. VF testing was performed with standard automated achromatic perimetry (SAP), short wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP) (Octopus 300® ) and flicker perimetry (Pulsar® ). Results were analysed for a possible correlation with blood pressure or RA-activity. RESULTS: Twenty subjects with RA and aHT, 26 patients with aHT and 22 healthy participants were examined. Significant differences were found for mean sensitivity (MS) in SWAP comparing RA-patients with healthy participants (ΔMS -3.06, p = 0.001) and with hypertensive patients (ΔMS -2.32, p = 0.007). In SAP we observed a significant difference between patients with RA and healthy subjects regarding loss variance (LV) (ΔLV = +9.77, p = 0.004). Flicker perimetry did not demonstrate significant differences between groups. A correlation of VF changes with blood pressure level or RA-activity was not observed. CONCLUSION: Patients with ACPA-positive RA and aHT showed significant impairment of VF performance in SWAP compared to patients with aHT alone and healthy subjects. SAP also revealed a significant difference of LV between RA-patients and healthy subjects. aHT does not seem to induce functional changes in VF testing alone.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Hypertension , Adult , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/diagnosis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Hypertension/diagnosis , Middle Aged , Visual Field Tests , Visual FieldsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Our study compares the biomechanical properties of the cornea in patients with long-term pre-existing (for at least 10 years) systemic sclerosis (SSc) with those of healthy suspects. MATERIAL/METHODS: The examination was performed in 14 systemic SSc patients and 38 healthy volunteers. Non-invasive assessment of corneal biomechanical parameters, including central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF), was performed in one randomised study eye in accordance with a standardised protocol. Intraocular pressure (IOP) values were analysed using different measuring techniques, including Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT), dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) and Ocular Response Analyzer® (ORA)-based non-contact tonometry (NCT), GAT-correlated IOP (IOPgat) and CCT-compensated-IOP (IOPcc). RESULTS: When measured with DCT and ORA-based NCT, IOP levels were significantly lower in SSc patients than in the control group (DCT IOP: p = 0.048, NCT IOPgat: p = 0.002, NCT IOPcc: p < 0.001). CCT was also significantly reduced in the SSc (p = 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in CH and CRF. The difference between the corrected values (CHcorr - CRFcorr) was negative in the two groups. This was slightly lower for the SSc patients (delta = - 0.83) than for the control group (delta = - 0.66). For SSc patients, there were highly significant negative correlations between CH and CRF and between CHcorr and CRFcorr. In contrast, in the control group there was a non-significant positive correlation between age and biomechanical properties. CONCLUSION: In the course of the disease SSc leads to various alterations in connective tissue, which can also involve corneal tissue. CCT becomes significantly thinner and simultaneously partially loses elastic properties and gains viscosity. This accounts for reduced IOP values with dynamic contour tonometry as well as with ORA-tonometry (Goldmann-correlated IOP, CCT-compensated IOP). This distinct pre-existing significant negative correlation between age and CH and CRF values in patients with SSc could be due to slight regression of the viscous components and diminution of corneal damping capacity.
Subject(s)
Biomechanical Phenomena , Cornea , Scleroderma, Systemic , Case-Control Studies , Cornea/pathology , Corneal Diseases/etiology , Corneal Diseases/pathology , Humans , Intraocular Pressure , Scleroderma, Systemic/complications , Tonometry, Ocular , ViscosityABSTRACT
AIM: To compare IOPen and ICare rebound tonometry to Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT) according to International Standards Organization (ISO) 8612 criteria. METHODS: Totally 191 eyes (n=107 individuals) were included. Criteria of ISO 8612 were fulfilled: 3 clusters of IOP, measured by GAT, were formed. The GAT results were given as mean±standard deviation. RESULTS: GAT (19.7±0.5 mm Hg) showed a significant correlation to ICare (19.8±0.5 mm Hg) (r=0.547, P<0.001) and IOPen (19.5±0.5 mm Hg) (r=0.526, P<0.001). According to ISO 8612 criteria in all 3 IOP groups the number of outliers (of the 95% limits of agreement) exceeded 5% for ICare and IOPen vs GAT: No.1 (n=68) 29.4% and 22.1%, No.2 (n=62) 35.5% and 37.1%, No.3 (n=61) 26.2% and 42.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The strict requirements of the ISO 8612 are not fulfilled in a glaucoma collective by ICare and IOPen at present. As long as the Goldmann tonometry is applicable it should be used first of all for reproducible IOP readings. ICare and IOPen tonometry should be considered as an alternative tool, if application of Goldmann tonometry is not possible.
