Relationship between intraocular pressure and optic nerve damage in optic nerve drusen
Reviewed by Claire Howard

The authors present a retrospective study exploring the relationship between intraocular pressure (IOP) and optic nerve damage in patients with optic nerve drusen. The aim was to evaluate if patients with normal ocular pressure at the time of optic nerve head drusen (ONHD) diagnosis, showed an association retrospectively between intraocular pressure and other optic nerve signs. A significant association was found between IOP and perimetric mean deviation (PMD) on visual field examination (Spearman’s rho = -0.863, p<0.01). In addition, a significant association existed between IOP and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness (Spearman’s rho = -0.630, p<0.01). A higher IOP was associated with a greater functional loss in the visual field and a reduction in the RNFL thickness. The authors suggest that these results should be used to develop a clinical trial of IOP reduction in patients with ONHD to decrease the progression of optic nerve damage over time.

The relationship between intraocular pressure and optic nerve structural and functional damage in patients with optic-nerve head drusen.
Oliveira-Ferreira C, Leuzinger-Dias M, Tavares-Ferreira J, et al.
NEURO-OPHTHALMOLOGY
2020;44(5):290-3.