Pupil dilation linked to glaucoma progression

Article

In patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by pharmacological pupillary dilation is related to the likelihood of future progression of glaucoma.

In patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), the increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by pharmacological pupillary dilation is related to the likelihood of future progression of glaucoma, according to a report published in the September issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Ghada Siam and colleagues from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, USA conducted a retrospective chart review of 100 eyes from 55 subjects with OAG who had had IOP measured before and after pharmacological pupillary dilation. Progressive visual field loss was defined as an increase of two or more stages with the glaucoma staging system 2 (GSS 2) and progressive deterioration of the disc was defined as an increased of two or more stages with the disc damage likelihood scale (DDLS). Mean follow-up time was 7.2 years.

The researchers found that 26 eyes demonstrated glaucomatous progression and the likelihood of progression was related to the amount of IOP increase following pharmacological pupillary dilation. For every 1 mmHg increase of IOP, the odds of progression increased by 24% (p=0.008). However, the likelihood of glaucoma progression was not related to baseline IOP.

It would seem that in patients with OAG, the amount of increase in IOP caused by pharmacological pupillary dilation is related to the likelihood of future glaucomatous progression.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Robert Sergott, MD, describes fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) and the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – And Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany.
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, a professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, spoke with Ophthalmology Times Europe about his presentation. It's titled "An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma" at the International SPECTRALIS Sympsoium. In conversation with Hattie Hayes, Ophthalmology Times Europe
Anat Loewenstein, MD, describes her presentation on remote imaging for age-related macular degeneration and geographic atrophy at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium, in conversation with Hattie Hayes of Ophthalmology Times Europe
Tyson Brunstetter, OD, PhD, a US Navy Aerospace Optometrist at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, shares key takeaways from his keynote at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium (ISS)
Rayaz Malik, MBChB, PhD, shares his presentation, titled An eye on neurodegenerative diseases: Challenging the dogma, at this year's International SPECTRALIS Symposium
At the Retina World Congress, Siegfried Priglinger, MD, speaks about ensuring the best outcomes for preschool-aged patients
At the 2025 ASCRS meeting, Robert Ang, MD said small aperture IOLs can benefit all patients, especially those with complex corneas or who have undergone previous corneal refractive surgery
Viha Vig, MBChB graduate student at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, discusses her poster presentation on the relationship between mitochondiral disease, Alzheimer disease, and other types of dementia.
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.