Central retinal vascular trunk deviation in unilateral normal-tension glaucoma.

Abstract

PurposeTo investigate whether the position of the central retinal vascular trunk (CRVT), as a surrogate of lamina cribrosa (LC) offset, was associated with the presence of glaucoma in normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) patients.MethodsThe position of the CRVT was measured as the deviation from the center of the Bruch's membrane opening (BMO), as delineated by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging. The offset index was calculated as the distance of the CRVT from the BMO center relative to that of the BMO margin. The angular deviation of CRVT was measured with the horizontal nasal midline as 0° and the superior location as a positive value. The offset index and angular deviation were compared between glaucoma and fellow control eyes within individuals.ResultsNTG eyes had higher baseline intraocular pressure (P = 0.001), a larger β-zone parapapillary atrophy area (P = 0.013), and a larger offset index (PConclusionsThe offset index was larger in the unilateral NTG eyes, which fact is suggestive of the potential role of LC/BMO offset as a loco-regional susceptibility factor.