Published in:
01-05-2008 | Case Report
Ophthalmodynamometry and ischemic ophthalmopathy
Published in: Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology | Issue 5/2008
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Background
To report on the clinical application of a modified ophthalmodynamometer for the detection of ischemic ophthalmopathy.
Methods
A 70-year-old patient showed unilateral loss of vision to 1/20, thin retinal arteries, tiny intraretinal hemorrhages, and iris neovascularization. We performed a modified ophthalmodynamometry using a Goldmann contact lens in the holding grip of which a pressure sensor was incorporated.
Results
Ophthalmodynamometry showed that the diastolic central retinal artery pressure was significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the affected eye than in the contralateral eye (14.6 ± 2.2 arbitrary units versus 45.5 ± 5.1 arbitrary units). These ophthalmodynamometric measurements of both eyes were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than in a control group (73.8 ± 6.2 arbitrary units) consisting of 149 normal eyes. Doppler sonography eventually revealed a marked stenosis of the right internal carotid artery, consistent with the diagnosis of a unilateral ischemic ophthalmopathy.
Conclusions
Ophthalmodynamometry is a helpful additional tool in the assessment of the oculo-afferent and cerebroafferent vessels in patients with symptomatic ocular ischemia.