Effect of ageing on the retinal vascular responsiveness to flicker light in glaucoma patients and in ocular hypertension.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of ageing on the retinal vascular responsiveness to flicker light in glaucoma and ocular hypertension (OHT).

Methods: Retinal vascular response to flicker was measured with the retinal vessel analyser in 56 healthy subjects (59 ± 9 years), 50 primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) (60 ± 10 years) and 46 OHT patients (62 ± 9 years). In the glaucoma group, the less damaged eye; in the OHT group, the eye with the higher intraocular pressure; and in healthy controls, one randomly selected eye was considered. Parametric and non-parametric linear regression analysis, as well as a model of covariance analysis (ANCOVA) was used to evaluate the effect of age on the vascular response.

Results: In all three groups (N=152) absolute (Pearson R: -0.19, p<0.019; Spearman R: -0.22, p<0.006) and relative change (Pearson R: -0.18, p<0.027; Spearman R: -0.21, p<0.010) were statistically associated with age. The ANCOVA showed no difference between the three groups in this regard (absolute change: p=0.43; relative change: p=0.51).

Conclusions: Vascular responsiveness to flicker light decreases with age in healthy individuals, in glaucoma patients and in OHT patients. This effect seems to be comparable between the tested groups, and age-related change in vascular responsiveness to flicker light seems an unlikely risk factor for glaucoma.