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Normal-tension glaucoma progression linked to dips in nocturnal blood pressure
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LA JOLLA, Calif. — Decreases in nocturnal blood pressure below the daytime mean arterial pressure and the significance of these dips are linked to normal-tension glaucoma progression, according to a study presented here.
"Glaucoma is a chronic degenerative disease, and currently the only way to control this progression is to lower intraocular pressure," Carlos Gustavo De Moraes, MD, said at the American Ophthalmological Society meeting.
The prospective, observational study included 166 eyes of 85 normal-tension glaucoma patients with reproducible visual field defects who were evaluated for systemic and ocular characteristics. Blood pressure was monitored every 30 minutes for 48 hours at 6-month intervals.
Thirty-two percent of the patients were diagnosed with systemic hypertension; 67% were treated with medication and approximately 23% of patients progressed by the study completion, De Moraes said.
"Hypertension status was a significant moderator of both the total time and area below the diurnal [mean arterial pressure] during sleep on the rates of mean deviation change (P = .025 and .024, respectively)," he said.
De Moraes said that continuous blood pressure monitoring may be beneficial for normal-tension glaucoma patients who continue to progress despite significant IOP lowering.
"These patients treated for systemic hypertension require closer monitoring and a multidisciplinary approach for follow-up," De Moraes said.
Disclosure: De Moraes has no relevant financial disclosures.