Effect of Surgical Intraocular Pressure Lowering on Peripapillary and Macular Vessel Density in Glaucoma Patients: An Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Study.

PURPOSE

To measure the influence of surgically induced intraocular pressure lowering on peripapillary and macular vessel density in glaucoma patients using optical coherence tomography angiography.

METHODS

Twenty-one eyes of 21 patients with open-angle glaucoma scheduled for filtering surgery were enrolled prospectively. Using optical coherence tomography angiography, vessel density was quantified within the peripapillary and macular regions, before and 1 month after filtering surgery. Change in vessel density was calculated for all analyzed areas.

RESULTS

One month after surgery, the mean intraocular pressure reduction was 44.2%±4.8% (range, 15.2% to 77.1%). The mean change in vessel density for the whole peripapillary area was 0.065±0.88% (P=0.788). In the macular region, the mean change in vessel density was -0.022%±0.691% (P=0.405) with significant changes only within the inferotemporal area of patients with predominantly superior visual field defects (-1.86%±1.43%, P=0.024).

CONCLUSIONS

Optical coherence tomography angiography allowed very limited measurement of intraocular pressure lowering-induced changes on the vessel density of the peripapillary and macular regions in glaucoma patients.