Aqueous humor dynamics in low-tension glaucoma.

Abstract

We measured the diurnal aqueous humor flow in patients with low-tension glaucoma by clearance of topically applied fluorescein. Ten patients with low-tension glaucoma participated in the study, and ten age-matched healthy volunteers served as control subjects. The diurnal aqueous humor flow was 2.58 +/- 0.78 microliters/min (mean +/- standard deviation) in the control group and 2.48 +/- 0.61 microliters/min in the low-tension glaucoma group. The corresponding nocturnal data were 0.98 +/- 0.22 microliters/min and 1.24 +/- 0.45 microliters/min. The differences were not statistically significant. Tonographic facility of outflow and intraocular pressure were also measured. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in either facility or pressure. No evidence was found in this small group of patients to support the hypothesis that the normal tension in this disease results from a combination of low facility and low flow.