[Biomechanical stress in glaucoma--cause and effect].

Unlabelled: Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease with multifactor causes which is characterized by acute loss of ganglion cells. Many mechanisms are involved in this disease but they are incomplete elucidated. Biomechanical stress generate changes to lamina cribrosa which determine ganglion cells death.

Study Objectives: The quantification of changes of LC and peripapillary sclera in experimental models with glaucoma.

Methods And Material: A prospective, experimental study (10 weeks) using 8 adult guinea pigs in which glaucoma was induced by equatorial burns (diathermia) at two episcleral veins--right eye, left eye being considered witness. The monitored parameters are: IOP, retro-ocular blood flow, histopathologic examination.

Results And Conclusions: Constant exposure to biomechanical stress (increase to IOP) involve to local level cellular and molecular mechanisms which made changes in the extracellular matrix. The changes of LC are a mechanism that determine glaucomatous optic nerve disease and became a new option to diagnose and follow in glaucoma.