Hypertension may affect retinal circulation in DR patients

Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2009;247(1):53-58.

Presence of medically treated hypertension may affect retrobulbar circulation in the central retinal artery and vein in patients with diabetes.

In a study, peak systolic blood velocity and end-diastolic blood velocity in the retrobulbar central retinal artery were significantly higher among patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR) with or without hypertension compared with patients with nonproliferative DR without hypertension.

The peak systolic blood velocity in the central retinal artery was higher among patients with both hypertension and nonproliferative DR, which "suggests that medically treated hypertension increases blood flow velocity in the central retinal artery in diabetic patients," the study authors said.

The study also identified a relationship between the severity of DR and hypertension on peak systolic blood velocity of the central retinal artery, "suggesting that both of these conditions affect the retrobulbar blood flow velocity."

The effect of medically treated hypertension on the retrobulbar circulation of the retinal artery and vein "must be considered when evaluating ocular blood flow parameters in patients with diabetes and hypertension," the authors said.