Physiology-Enhanced Data Analytics to Evaluate the Effect of Altitude on Intraocular Pressure and Ocular Hemodynamics
Alice Verticchio Vercellin,
Alon Harris,
Aditya Belamkar,
Ryan Zukerman,
Lucia Carichino,
Marcela Szopos,
Brent Siesky,
Luciano Quaranta,
Carlo Bruttini,
Francesco Oddone,
Ivano Riva,
Giovanna Guidoboni
Affiliations
Alice Verticchio Vercellin
Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Alon Harris
Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Aditya Belamkar
Department of Ophthalmology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
Ryan Zukerman
Department of Ophthalmology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, USA
Lucia Carichino
School of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14623, USA
Marcela Szopos
MAP5 UMR CNRS 8145, Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France
Brent Siesky
Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
Luciano Quaranta
Department of Ophthalmology, Centro Oculistico Italiano, 25122 Brescia, Italy
Carlo Bruttini
Department of Surgical & Clinical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Section of Ophthalmology, University of Pavia—IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Francesco Oddone
Glaucoma Unit, IRCCS—Fondazione Bietti, 00198 Rome, Italy
Ivano Riva
Department of Ophthalmology, Istituto Clinico Sant’Anna, 25127 Brescia, Italy
Giovanna Guidoboni
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
Altitude affects intraocular pressure (IOP); however, the underlying mechanisms involved and its relationship with ocular hemodynamics remain unknown. Herein, a validated mathematical modeling approach was used for a physiology-enhanced (pe-) analysis of the Mont Blanc study (MBS), estimating the effects of altitude on IOP, blood pressure (BP), and retinal hemodynamics. In the MBS, IOP and BP were measured in 33 healthy volunteers at 77 and 3466 m above sea level. Pe-retinal hemodynamics analysis predicted a statistically significant increase (p p p = 0.003) and a non-significant increase in the resistance in the central retinal vein (p = 0.253). Pe-aqueous humor analysis showed that a decrease in osmotic pressure difference (OPD) may underlie the difference in IOP measured at different altitudes in the MBS. Our analysis suggests that venules bear the significant portion of the IOP pressure load within the ocular vasculature, and that OPD plays an important role in regulating IOP with changes in altitude.
