Correlation between cardiovascular parameters and glaucomatous changes in the optic nerve in patients with low-output heart failure

Abstract Objectives: To correlate ophthalmoscopic and cardiovascular parameters in patients diagnosed with low-output heart failure (HFrEF) and to evaluate the association between HFrEF and glaucoma-suggestive alterations in the optic nerve. Methods: Descriptive, observational and prospective study, composed of 30 patients diagnosed with HFrEF. The patients were submitted to ophthalmologic examination, which included biomicroscopy, visual acuity, gonioscopy, intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) measurement. Their cardiovascular parameters evaluation, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), comorbidities and diagnosis time of HFrEF was performed upon a review over their medical chart. The left eye was arbitrarily chosen for statistical analysis of the data. Statistical correlation was performed using the Spearman test, while the comparison was performed using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: A high prevalence of peripapillary atrophy (73.3%) was observed, as well as a positive, moderate and statistically significant correlation between LVEF and ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) (r = 0.517; p = 0.004). Despite the lack of significance of the Mann-Whitney U-Test comparisons, a higher prevalence of peripapillary atrophy was found in patients with lower MAP, lower LVEF and lower OPP. Conclusion: HFrEF may be a risk factor for the development of glaucomatous changes in the optic nerve disc. The resulting peripapillary atrophy and low OPP from the contractile deficit may be related to the vascular theory about normal-tension glaucoma development.