PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Olafsdottir, Olof Birna
AU  - Vandewalle, Evelien
AU  - Abegão Pinto, Luis
AU  - Geirsdottir, Asbjorg
AU  - De Clerck, Eline
AU  - Stalmans, Peter
AU  - Gottfredsdottir, Maria Soffia
AU  - Kristjansdottir, Jona Valgerdur
AU  - Van Calster, Joachim
AU  - Zeyen, Thierry
AU  - Stefánsson, Einar
AU  - Stalmans, Ingeborg
TI  - Retinal oxygen metabolism in healthy subjects and glaucoma patients
AID  - 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-303162
DP  - 2014 Mar 01
TA  - British Journal of Ophthalmology
PG  - 329--333
VI  - 98
IP  - 3
4099  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/98/3/329.short
4100  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/98/3/329.full
SO  - Br J Ophthalmol2014 Mar 01; 98
AB  - Background To test whether retinal oxygen metabolism is different in glaucoma patients compared with healthy subjects. Methods This was a two-centre study where retinal vessel oxygen saturation was measured in glaucoma patients and healthy individuals with a non-invasive spectrophotometric retinal oximeter. Visual fields were obtained in the glaucoma patients. Results No statistical difference was found in retinal oxygen saturation in arterioles (p=0.16), venules (p=0.16) and arteriovenous difference (p=0.24) when all glaucoma patients (n=74) were compared with healthy individuals (n=89). When patients with advanced glaucoma (visual field mean defect (MD ≥ 10 dB, n=21)) were compared with healthy individuals, the oxygen saturation in venules was higher in glaucoma patients (58.2%±5.4% vs 53.8%±6.4%; p=0.0054, mean±SD) and the arteriovenous difference was lower in glaucoma patients (36.4%±4.7% vs 39.5%±5.7%; p=0.021). In glaucoma patients with mild glaucoma (visual field MD ≤ 5 dB, n=33), no statistical differences were found in retinal oxygen saturation compared with healthy individuals. Conclusions Glaucoma patients with advanced glaucoma have higher oxygen saturation in venules and lower arteriovenous difference in oxygen saturation compared with healthy individuals. The decreased arteriovenous difference in severe glaucoma may be related to lower oxygen consumption secondary to neuropathy.