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Evaluation of pupillary response to light in patients with glaucoma: a study using computerized pupillometry

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate pupillary response to light stimulation in patients with different stages of glaucoma using computerized pupillometry. We conducted a retrospective study on a group of 44 glaucoma patients who had undergone complete ophthalmological examination, visual field test (Humphrey SITA Standard 24-2) and monocular dynamic pupillometry (MonCV3 Metrovision). Eyes were classified into stages of glaucoma according to visual field damage using the Glaucoma Staging System 2. A group of 18 healthy subjects, homogeneous for age and sex with glaucoma patients, was used as a control. The following parameters were considered—latency and duration of contraction and dilatation; initial, minimum, maximum, and mean pupil diameter; amplitude of contraction; contraction and dilatation speed; and percent pupil contraction (PPC). PPC and pupil contraction speed and minimum diameter showed covariate correlation with the stages of glaucoma. The control group significantly differed from the stage 3 group in terms of PPC and from the stage 4 group in terms of minimum diameter. There were significant differences between the stage 5 group and stage 1, 2, 3 and control groups. Ordinal logistic regression showed a correlation between pupil contraction speed, minimum diameter, PPC, initial diameter and the stage of glaucoma. The study showed that glaucoma damage is associated with altered values of pupillary response to light. This event may be the consequence of the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells and their axons induced by glaucoma.

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Acknowledgments

No author has any financial or commercial interests in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ophthalmology Unit, Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Alessio Martucci, Massimo Cesareo, Federico Ricci, Raffaele Mancino & Carlo Nucci

  2. Ophthalmology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Domenico Napoli

  3. Laboratory of Biometry, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy

    Roberto Pietro Sorge

Authors
  1. Alessio Martucci
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  2. Massimo Cesareo
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  3. Domenico Napoli
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  4. Roberto Pietro Sorge
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  5. Federico Ricci
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  6. Raffaele Mancino
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  7. Carlo Nucci
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Correspondence to Carlo Nucci.

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Martucci, A., Cesareo, M., Napoli, D. et al. Evaluation of pupillary response to light in patients with glaucoma: a study using computerized pupillometry. Int Ophthalmol 34, 1241–1247 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-014-9920-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-014-9920-1

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