Longitudinal changes in optical coherence tomography angiography characteristics in normal-tension glaucoma with or without high myopia

Chin Lai; Lan-Hsin Chuang; Chi-Chun Lai; Chun-Fu Liu; Ju-Wen Yang; Henry S L Chen

doi:10.1111/aos.16644

Longitudinal changes in optical coherence tomography angiography characteristics in normal-tension glaucoma with or without high myopia

Acta Ophthalmol. 2024 Jan 26. doi: 10.1111/aos.16644. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chin Lai¹, Lan-Hsin Chuang^{2

3}, Chi-Chun Lai^{2

3}, Chun-Fu Liu^{2

3}, Ju-Wen Yang^{2

3}, Henry S L Chen^{3

4}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
³ College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.

PMID: 38279584
DOI: 10.1111/aos.16644

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the structural, microvascular, and functional progression of normal tension glaucoma (NTG) with or without high myopia by examining longitudinal changes in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and visual field (VF) parameters.

Methods: We evaluated 61 NTG eyes and classified 25 of the eyes with axial lengths (ALs) of ≥26 mm as highly myopic. We assessed the rate of change in OCTA parameters, namely radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) vessel density (VD), parafovea VD, deep parafovea VD, retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, and ganglion cell complex thickness. We evaluated the correlation of the rate of change in OCTA parameters with VF loss and AL.

Results: Among the 61 NTG eyes, rates of loss of RPC VD, parafovea VD, deep parafovea VD, and RNFL thickness were significantly different from zero despite the nonsignificant rate of change in VF mean deviation (MD). Changes in these OCTA parameters did not differ significantly in highly myopic NTG eyes. The rate of change in VF MD was significantly correlated with the rate of change in parafovea VD in highly myopic and non-highly myopic NTG eyes. In highly myopic NTG eyes, AL was negatively correlated with the rates of loss of RNFL thickness, VF MD, and VF PSD.

Conclusion: NTG eyes with a relatively stable VF exhibited loss of VD and RNFL thickness. VF progression in NTG was correlated with decreasing parafovea VD, indicating a structure-function correlation. Greater AL may indicate faster VF loss and RNFL thinning in highly myopic NTG eyes.

Keywords: high myopia; longitudinal change; normal-tension glaucoma; optical coherence tomography angiography.