Gender-related Influences on Superficial Papillary Microcirculation Measured with Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Glaucoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the optic nerve head (ONH), macular vessel density, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness differences between the genders. Material and methods: In this prospective case-control cross-sectional study 111 healthy subjects and 130 primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients were examined with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A (RS-3000 Advance (Nidek, Gamagori, Japan))). The vessel density in the peripapillary and macular area as well as the RNFL thickness was evaluated.

Results

Men appeared to have less RNFL thickness compared with women in early glaucomatous group, being significant at the whole circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL) thickness and inferior and nasal quadrants: (cpRNFL) (71.01 ± 9.32 vs 77.64 ± 9.95 μm; P = .001), superior quadrant (89.10 ± 16.63 vs 92.97 ± 17.53 μm; P = .284), inferior quadrant (83.03 ± 19.17 vs 95.07 ± 21.70 μm; P = .006), temporal quadrant (57.11 ± 10.36 vs 61.78 ± 11.37 μm; P = .043), nasal quadrant (54.81 ± 11.42 vs 60.73 ± 11.62 μm; P = .016). Circumpapillary (wcpVD) and macular (wmVD) vessel density values were lower in men than women in the early stage OAG group, being wmVD significantly lower: wcpVD (15.53 ± 2.45% vs 16.81 ± 3.17%, P = .032) and wmVD values (12.51 ± 2.21 vs 13.63 ± 2.28%, P = .019), but not in the moderate OAG group (wcpVD 14.46 ± 2.20% vs 16.61 ± 3.10%, P = .056 and wmVD 12.61 ± 2.40% vs 12.74 ± 2.54%, P = .870). There were no significant differences between men and women for RNFL thickness and the vessel density parameters in normal group.

Conclusion

Both, the thickness of the nerve fiber layer and peripapillary and macular vessel density are lower in men than in women with glaucoma, more markedly in early stage glaucomatous patients.