Thinning of the Lamina Cribrosa and Deep Layer Microvascular Dropout in Patients With Open Angle Glaucoma and High Myopia.

PRCIS: Lamina cribrosa (LC) thinning (thickness of ≤128.00 µm) helps to distinguish open angle glaucoma from high myopia, which was associated with the presence of microvasculature dropout and elevated intraocular pressure. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors associated with LC thickness in highly myopic eyes with and without open angle glaucoma. METHODS: In total, 240 highly myopic eyes with γ-zones (194 eyes without and 46 eyes with open angle glaucoma) were examined, and the LC center, externally oblique border, an abrupt change of scleral curvature (scleral step), deep layer microvasculature dropout and global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness were investigated on optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography. RESULTS: LC were thinner in highly myopic open angle glaucoma compared with high myopia alone (107.76±9.86 vs. 137.07±18.51 µm, P <0.001), which was associated with deep layer microvasculature dropout and elevated intraocular pressure. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for detecting open angle glaucoma from the LC thickness was 0.964, which was statistically higher ( P <0.05) than from the global retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (0.921) and vertical cup-to-disc ratio (0.902). A LC thickness cutoff value of 128 µm provided 100% sensitivity for detecting open angle glaucoma with 84% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Highly myopic eyes with open angle glaucoma appear to have a thinner LC, which was associated with elevated intraocular pressure and deep layer microvasculature dropout. LC thinning (≤128.00 µm) helps distinguish open angle glaucoma from high myopia with an abnormal retinal nerve fiber layer thickness distribution and unclear shallow disc cupping.

Potential therapeutic effects of baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin in ocular disorders.

Ocular diseases such as cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy are the leading causes of blindness. The elderly population is at particular risk of developing one or more of these age-related ocular diseases. By virtue of multiple bioactivities, effort has been made to develop dietary flavonoids as complimentary therapies for ocular disorders. Dietary intake of flavonoids has been reported to reduce the risk of cataract and AMD. This review focuses on the main flavones baicalein, baicalin, and wogonin isolated from the Chinese medicinal herb, Scutellariae radix (SR), which has been widely used in Asian countries for the treatment of many diseases. Interest in SR has grown recently following new findings that suggest multiple routes of therapeutic action. This review will summarize the diverse pharmacological properties, therapeutic roles, and mechanisms of these flavones of SR in cellular and animal models of ocular diseases.