Vascular aging, vascularity in the progression of primary open-angle glaucoma

With the aging of the population, the prevalence of age-associated diseases, including glaucoma, increases. Despite the contribution of vascular disorders to the development and progression of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), knowledge about the relationship between the ocular vascular bed and systemic vessels and sensory aging in glaucoma is limited. Objective: to determine how vascular aging and vascularity changes contribute to POAG progression. A total of 177 elderly patients (350 eyes) were examined. All patients underwent standard ophthalmological examination, assessment of sensory aging (Md, PSD indices, GCS indices according to OCT data, age and frailty), assessment of vascular parameters (reactive hyperemia test (RHT), ocular pulse and blood flow in the vessels of the extremities, lipidogram). Data analysis showed statistically significant changes in vascularity and vascular aging in elderly patients with POAG progression. Vascular and sensory aging are risk factors for POAG progression. The most significant predictors of glaucoma progression were identified - hemodynamic disorders, vascularity indices against the background of vascular aging in elderly patients.