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Review
. 2015 Mar;26(2):96-102.
doi: 10.1097/ICU.0000000000000130.

Corneal hysteresis and its relevance to glaucoma

Madhvi Deol  1 , David A Taylor, Nathan M Radcliffe
Affiliations
Review

Corneal hysteresis and its relevance to glaucoma

Madhvi Deol et al. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is estimated that roughly 60.5 million people had glaucoma in 2010 and that this number is increasing. Many patients continue to lose vision despite apparent disease control according to traditional risk factors. The purpose of this review is to discuss the recent findings with regard to corneal hysteresis, a variable that is thought to be associated with the risk and progression of glaucoma.

Recent findings: Low corneal hysteresis is associated with optic nerve and visual field damage in glaucoma and the risk of structural and functional glaucoma progression. In addition, hysteresis may enhance intraocular pressure (IOP) interpretation: low corneal hysteresis is associated with a larger magnitude of IOP reduction following various glaucoma therapies. Corneal hysteresis is dynamic and may increase in eyes after IOP-lowering interventions are implemented.

Summary: It is widely accepted that central corneal thickness is a predictive factor for the risk of glaucoma progression. Recent evidence shows that corneal hysteresis also provides valuable information for several aspects of glaucoma management. In fact, corneal hysteresis may be more strongly associated with glaucoma presence, risk of progression, and effectiveness of glaucoma treatments than central corneal thickness.

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Figures

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FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Ocular response analyzer (ORA) reading. Applanation signal as a function of air jet pressure during the bidirection applanation process of the ORA. The time point P1 indicates the air-jet pressure when the cornea undergoes inward applanation, and P2 is the pressure at which the cornea bends back outward. Corneal hysteresis is defined as P1–P2. Reproduced by courtesy of Reichert Inc., Depew, NY, USA.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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