INTERRELATION BETWEEN CORNEAL HYSTERESIS AND STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONAL PARAMETERS OF THE OPTIC NERVE IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF PRIMARY OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA
The results of clinical and instrumental examination, including the estimation of corneal elastic and viscous parameters using Ocular Response Analyzer of 155 patients (193 eyes) with different stages of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) are presented. The deterioration of biomechanical properties of corneoscleral shell has been demonstrated, in particular, a regular decrease of a biomecanical parameter, the corneal hysteresis (CH), which occurs with the increase of glaucomatous structural damages of the optic nerve head (ONH). This interrelation is an evidence of the specific character and sensitivity of CH in POAG development. CH provides a more adequate reflection of the structural and functional state of ONH than the central corneal thickness does, which makes advisable the use of this parameter as a diagnostic and prognostic criterion in POAG. / Russian Ophthalmological Journal, 2009; 3:17-23.