OCT Angiography of the Glaucoma Optic Nerve

Background Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness worldwide. One possible pathophysiological cause may be vascular dysregulation. Our aim was to investigate whether OCT angiography (OCTA) can detect modified flow density in glaucoma patients in the area of the optic disc. Methods A total of 68 eyes were examined by the OCTA system AngioVue, including 34 eyes diagnosed with glaucoma and 34 healthy control eyes. Total peripapillary flow density was measured at two different levels of segmentation and also in each optic disc sector. Results At both segmentation levels, it was demonstrated that peripapillar total flow density was significantly different in glaucoma eyes from healthy eyes. Disease progression was determined from the thickness of the ganglion cell complex and retinal nerve fibre layer. Flow density was reduced with disease progression. There was no significant difference between the optic disc sectors. Conclusion The new technology of OCT angiography enables non-invasive quantification of flow density, which is significantly reduced in glaucomatous eyes. OCTA expands the diagnostic spectrum for the detection and monitoring of glaucoma patients.