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Scientists have discovered a new method of diagnosing glaucoma
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
A new study by scientists suggests that certain changes in the blood vessels in the retina of the eye may be an early sign that a person is at increased risk of developing glaucoma, an eye disease that slowly robs people of their peripheral vision.
Despite all the achievements of modern medicine, glaucoma is still one of the pressing problems, the solution to which has not yet been found. Ophthalmologists are concerned about the significant increase in the number of people suffering from glaucoma.
Research by Australian ophthalmologists, the Blue Mountains Eye Study, shows that those patients who were diagnosed with retinal pathology were at increased risk of developing glaucoma.
If the findings are confirmed, the discovery could pave the way for new methods of detecting glaucoma and treating the most vulnerable patients with vision problems that lead to complete vision loss.
Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. Experts state that over the past ten years, the number of people suffering from open-angle glaucoma has increased by 22%, while the age of people suffering from this disease has significantly decreased.
In the United States alone, open-angle glaucoma affects more than 2.7 million people over the age of 40.
According to lead author of the study, Professor Paul Mitchell, the abnormal narrowing of the retinal blood vessels is an important factor that could aid early diagnosis of the disease.
Over the course of ten years, scientists monitored 2,500 volunteers. They found that those patients whose retinal arteries were narrow had a risk of developing glaucoma that was approximately four times higher than those whose retinal arteries were wider.
At the start of the study, none of the participants had been diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma, but some developed it over the course of the study. Compared with those without vision problems, these patients had higher blood pressure or high intraocular pressure, and the disease affected women more often than men.
The study results were adjusted for age, family history of glaucoma, smoking, diabetes, hypertension and other relevant risk factors.
“Our results show that computer imaging designed to detect narrowing of the retinal arteries can effectively identify those people who are most at risk for developing open-angle glaucoma,” says Dr. Mitchell. “This should take into account blood pressure, intraocular pressure, and other factors that may contribute to changes in the caliber of blood vessels. Early detection allows ophthalmologists to identify the disease or susceptibility to it before damage to the optic nerve occurs, increasing a person’s chances of successfully treating the problem.”
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