Vessel Density in the Macular and Peripapillary Areas in Preperimetric Glaucoma to Various Stages of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma in Taiwan

Abstract

Peripapillary and macular vessel density (VD) are reduced in myopic non-glaucomatous eyes, the dynamic range of VD may be decreased by myopia, and whether VD measurement has the potential in differentiating stages of glaucoma severity in patients with myopic glaucoma remains questionable. This observational, cross-sectional study aimed to clarify the changes in peripapillary and macular VDs in preperimetric glaucoma (PPG) and primary open-angle glaucoma in the early, moderate, and late stages. A total of 1228 eyes from 661 participants (540 normal, 67 PPG, and 521 glaucomatous) were included. Participants underwent free blood tests at the internal medicine clinic to retrieve systemic data. Patients with glaucoma were grouped by disease severity, defined by glaucomatous visual field mean defect, including early-(224 eyes), moderate-(103 eyes), and late-stage glaucoma (194 eyes), and further divided into advanced (158 eyes) and terminal glaucoma (36 eyes). Macular VD, peripapillary VD, circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness, and ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness were evaluated and divided into superior and inferior parts. One-way analysis of variance was performed, followed by Tukey’s post-hoc test. The peripapillary VD was significantly different between the healthy and PPG groups and the early-, moderate-, and late-stage glaucoma subgroups (all p < 0.001). Peripapillary VD measurements are helpful in differentiating the various stages of glaucoma even in patients with myopic glaucoma.