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IOP fluctuation may cause visual field deterioration in patients with glaucoma
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In patients with glaucoma, fluctuations in IOP may be associated with a decreasing peripheral field of vision, even if the IOP remains low overall, according to a study by researchers in Korea.
Samin Hong, MD, and colleagues at Yonsei University College of Medicine evaluated the changes in visual fields over at least 3 years in 408 eyes with IOP below 18 mm Hg. All patients had been treated with phacoemulsification, posterior chamber IOL implantation and trabeculectomy, according to the study.
The researchers divided eyes into two groups based on the standard deviation in postoperative IOP. The first group had IOP fluctuations greater than two standard deviations; the second group had fluctuations less than two standard deviations. The groups showed no differences in IOP throughout the follow-up period, and there was no difference in their visual field defect score at 3 months postop, the authors noted.
After 13 years, however, eyes with the greater IOP fluctuations had significantly worse visual field deteriorations, the researchers found.
The authors recommend that the standard deviation of long-term IOP should be less than two in patients with glaucoma, even if IOP is less than 18 mm Hg.
The study is published in the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.