Over 50 percent cases of glaucoma are caused due to intracranial pressure, according to a new clinical study.
Low intracranial pressure is linked to poor eyesight, especially in the nose zone, the study revealed.
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Intracranial pressure plays an important role in normal-tension glaucoma.
Patients with glaucoma frequently have elevated intraocular pressure (IOP), also known as eye pressure.
Glaucoma may not always develop in those with ocular hypertension.
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It must be noted that, individuals with normal IOP may acquire glaucoma affecting the eye health.
However, glaucoma can also develop in cases of normal IOP and the study observed that in the global population normal tension glaucoma (NTG) is prevalent among 30 to 90 percent.
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve and can lead to blindness.
The optic nerve sends visual information from your eye to your brain and is vital for good vision.
Optic nerve degeneration is the primary cause of glaucoma and is one of the main causes of blindness in persons over 60.
Contemporary medicine has methods to treat elevated eye pressure and to slow or even stop the damage to the optic nerve.
However, these methods do not work in the case of normal tension glaucoma.
There is a growing awareness among the scientific community, that glaucoma is a condition caused by two pressures – inside the eye and the skull.
The optic nerve connected to the brain is surrounded by the cerebrospinal fluid.
The pressure inside our skull, intracranial pressure (ICT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) are the two reasons that affect the condition of the optic nerve.
Recently, researchers have focused on the balance between the two pressures i.e. translaminar pressure difference (TPD) and its connection to glaucoma development.
Moreover, the study involved several measurements like intraocular (IOP), intracranial pressures and visual field perimetry.
The translaminar pressure difference (TPD) was calculated with the formula TPD = IOP – ICP.
The study divided the visual field into five zones including nasal, temporal, peripheral, central and paracentral.
The research revealed several statistically significant correlations between intracranial pressure, TPD and visual field changes.
The most significant visual field losses occurred in the nasal zone. The higher the TPD, the more significant damage to the patient’s visual field were registered.
A significant conclusion of the research revealed that higher TPD could be estimated as a risk factor for the negative development of normal tension glaucoma.
Hence, translaminar pressure difference is calculated by subtracting ICP from IOP, the lower the intracranial pressure measure higher is the TPD which shows in normal-tension glaucoma lowered intracranial pressure is a possible risk factor.
Prof Ragauskas said the visual field loss ascertains that a person is becoming blind. So, it is important to understand the causes of this health condition and to reverse it.
It is to be noted that, intracranial pressure’s correlation with glaucoma has opened up new avenues for medical professionals to find the reason behind it and the possible treatment for it.
Prof Ragauskas says that his research has provided additional information and an insightful understanding to this health condition.