Comparison of the Central Retinal Vessel Diameter Between Glaucomatous and Normal Eye

Min Wook Chang; Yong Yeon Kim

doi:10.3341/jkos.2009.50.5.738

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Chang and Kim: Comparison of the Central Retinal Vessel Diameter Between Glaucomatous and Normal Eye

Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2009;50(5):738-742.

Published online: 7 September 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2009.50.5.738

Comparison of the Central Retinal Vessel Diameter Between Glaucomatous and Normal Eye

Min Wook Chang, MD, Yong Yeon Kim, MD, PhD

Department of Ophthalmology, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

Address reprint requests to Yong Yeon Kim, MD, PhD Department of Ophthalmology, Guro Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine #97 Gurodong-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-703, Korea Tel: 82-2-2626-1260, Fax: 82-2-857-8580, E-mail: yongykim@mail.korea.ac.kr

Received 9 September 2008 Accepted 8 January 2009

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

To compare the diameter of central retinal vessels between patients with normal-tension glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma and healthy (control) eyes.

Methods

The authors reviewed 30 eyes of 30 normal-tension glaucoma patients, 20 eyes of 20 primary open-angle glaucoma patients and 30 eyes of normal persons who had no systemic vascular diseases. The diameters of the central retinal arteries and veins were measured and calculated using a revised Parr-Hubbard formula, and results were compared between the groups. Results: The diameter of the central retinal vessel showed no statistical differences between the eyes with normal-tension glaucoma and primary-open angle glaucoma. However, there were significant differences between the eyes of patients with glaucoma and the normal control eyes (p＜0.05).

Conclusion

The diameter of the central retinal vessels in glaucoma patients were narrower than that in the control group. Our results suggest that the diameter of the central retinal vessels may affect the development of glaucoma both in normal tension and primary open-angle types, or that glaucomatous damage may influence the diameter of the central retinal vessels.

Keywords: Central retinal vessel diameter, Normal tension glaucoma, Open angle glaucoma

References

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Figure 1.

Digitized retinal photograph. Zone (A) is a half-disc diameter from the optic disc margin and Zone B is a half-disc to one and half-disc diameter from the optic disc margin. Retinal vessel diameter measurements are performed in Zone (B).

Figure 2.

Comparison of the vessel diameters between 3 groups. Both CRAE and CRVE were significantly narrower in NTG and POAG group than innormal group. But there was no significant difference between NTG and POAG groups. *P<0.05 with multiple comparison test (Tukey B test).

Table 1.

Comparison of variables between three groups

	NTG^∏	POAG^＃	Normal	p-value
Sex (M：F)	13:17	13:7	15:15	0.352^‡
Age (Years)	53.4±9.4	50.5±13.0	50.1±8.2	0.384^§
IOP^** (mm Hg)^*	13.4±1.8	21.9±2.8	14.1±1.8	0.000^§
RNFL^†† thickness (μm)^†	93.8±10.9	88.8±12.4	111.1±13.0	0.000^§
CRAE^‡‡ (μm)^†	108.5±12.7	107.7±11.1	117.7±9.5	0.002^§
CRVE^§§ (μm)^†	156.3±16.6	161.1±19.0	176.8±23.4	0.000^§
Total(n)	30	20	30	

^* Statistically significant between POAG and NTG, POAG and normal with multiple comparision (Tukey test)

^† Statistically significant between POAG and normal, NTG and normal with multiple comparision (Tukey test)

^‡ Pearson's chi-square test.

^§ ANOVA test

^∏ TG=normal tension glaucoma

^＃ POAG=primary open-angle glaucoma

^** IOP=intra ocular pressure

^†† RNFL=retinal nerve fiber layer

^‡‡ CRAE=central retinal arteriole equivalent

^§§ CRVE=central retinal venule equivalent.

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