How Does Ocular Blood Flow Influence the Course of Glaucoma?

Dr. Alon Harris discusses recent advancements in imaging technologies for visualizing and quantifying hemodynamic and vascular parameters within the eye. These technologies have generated much data and these data have generated questions on how to interpret the data from the clinical viewpoint, such as whether vascular changes are primary or secondary to the disease process and what the relationship between vascular, structural, and functional changes is. Dr. Harris discusses 4 main points:

• Ocular perfusion pressure and blood flow are important risk factors.
• There is insufficient evidence of vascular insults as a primary instigator.
• African-descent open-angle glaucoma patients have demonstrated vascular insufficiencies.
• Individual susceptibility with various comorbidities can complicate risk assessment, but mathematical models might help to understand and identify risk factors.