Correlation between retinal fluorescein angiography and blood viscosity and other factors in patients with primary open angle glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation among retinal fluorescein angiography, blood viscosity, and other factors in patients with open angle glaucoma (POAG).

METHODS

Multiple step regression analysis was made to investigate the correlation between each of the following blood vessel filling times: the arm-choroid (A-CT), arm-retinal artery (A-AT), and retinal artery-venous (A-VT) of the fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) in 122 eyes with POAG and each of the following related factors in hemorrheology: whole blood apparent viscosity at low, medium and high shear rates, plasma viscosity and hematocrit. Also, the same analysis was applied to investigate the correlation between each of the A-AT, A-VT of the FFA in 70 eyes with POAG and the following factors: systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, age and whole blood apparent viscosity at low shear rate.

RESULTS

The whole blood apparent viscosity at low shear rate was closely related to A-CT and A-AT, while hematocrit was closely related to A-VT of the FFA. The whole blood apparent viscosity at low shear rate and age, especially the whole blood apparent viscosity, was closely related to A-AT, A-VT of the FFA.

CONCLUSION

Blood viscosity can affect the filling times of the FFA in POAG.