Corneal Hysteresis, Intraocular Pressure, and Progression of Glaucoma: Time for a “Hyst-Oric” Change in Clinical Practice?

Abstract

It is known that as people age their tissues become less compliant and the ocular structures are no different. Corneal Hysteresis (CH) is a surrogate marker for ocular compliance. Low hysteresis values are associated with optic nerve damage and visual field loss, the structural and functional components of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Presently, a range of parameters are measured to monitor and stratify glaucoma, including intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and the ganglion cell layer (GCL), and subjective measurement such as visual fields. The purpose of this review is to summarise the current evidence that CH values area risk factor for the development of glaucoma and are a marker for its progression. The authors will explain what precisely CH is, how it can be measured, and the influence that medication and surgery can have on its value. CH is likely to play an integral role in glaucoma care and could potentially be incorporated synergistically with IOP, CCT, and visual field testing to establish risk stratification modelling and progression algorithms in glaucoma management in the future.