Ocular blood flow alters with age

Article

There is a large variation in the blood flow to the macula across a 24-hour period in old, but not young, eyes, according to results published in the August issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

There is a large variation in the blood flow to the macula across a 24-hour period in old, but not young, eyes, according to results published in the August issue of the Journal of Glaucoma.

Teruyo Kida, MD, PhD of the Hamilton Glaucoma Center and Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Diego, US and colleagues monitored the blood flow to the optical nerve head and the macula in one group of subjects aged 50–80 years (n=15), and in a second group of subjects aged 20–25 years (n=15). The subjects spent 24 hours under observation, and blood pressure and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured - after five minutes sitting upright - every two hours, to calculate ocular perfusion pressure. Blood volume, flow and velocity in the optic nerve head and macula were also monitored.

The team found that nocturnal IOP was significantly lower than diurnal IOP among the older subjects, although ocular perfusion pressure remained stable. Ocular blood flow increased from 6.8% during the day to 16.8% at night in this group. The second group (younger subjects) were found to have higher IOP and lower ocular perfusion pressure at night compared with during the day, although ocular blood flow did not vary during the study period. Nocturnal ocular perfusion pressure was higher in older subjects compared with younger subjects.

The team concluded that the changes in the blood flow to the optic nerve head and the macula, which were confined to the older subjects, were independent of changes in ocular perfusion pressure.

Newsletter

Get the essential updates shaping the future of pharma manufacturing and compliance—subscribe today to Pharmaceutical Technology and never miss a breakthrough.

Recent Videos
Jeremiah Tao, MD, FACS, discusses his Egyptian Ophthalmological Society keynote, which focused on risk management and avoiding surgical complications in oculofacial surgery
Omer Trivizki, MD, MBA, a retina specialist from Tel Aviv Medical Center, speaks about VOY-101, a Novel, Complement-Modulating Gene Therapy for Geographic Atrophy at the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) Annual Meeting
João Pedro Marques, MD, MSc, PhD discusses a retrospective study of 800 patients with inherited retinal diseases during the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) annual meeting
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.